The Final Battle
by SilverBelle
Summary: A sequel to the story Learning To Cope. It covers Harry's seventh year, and, of course, the final battle...which is where I got the name for this story. Anyways, I stink at summaries. Just read it if you liked the first story.
1. Driving Lessons and Diamond Rings

**Disclaimer: **Nothing is mine. Except for Silver. I made her. So she's mine. But everything else is most likely J.K. Rowling's.

**Comments: **Yay, sequel city!

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**Chapter 1 – Driving Lessons and Diamond Rings**

"STOP!" Uncle Vernon roared at the top of his lungs.

Harry slammed on the brakes, which sent Uncle Vernon flying into the dashboard. Harry looked around wildly for the source of the command, half expecting to see a hoard of dementors swarming their way. But then again, Uncle Vernon wouldn't have been able to see them. He glanced at his Uncle, who was sputtering incoherently, nearly purple in the face with what seemed to be rage. Harry couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why.

"Why'd we stop?" he inquired curiously.

"The stop sign! The stop sign!" Uncle Vernon yelled, pointing furiously ahead of them.

Harry looked out, and, sure enough, some forty feet ahead of them a stop sign could be seen.

"I don't think I had to stop right here," he commented.

"Fool boy!" Uncle Vernon raged, "You didn't!"

"Well you told me to!" Harry insisted.

"You weren't going to stop!" Uncle Vernon yelled.

"I was going twenty miles an hour down a neighborhood street – I didn't exactly have to slow down so soon," Harry replied sensibly.

"Well, you didn't look like you saw it," Uncle Vernon replied.

Harry shook his head and turned back to the road. He had realized upon arriving at Pivet Drive and seeing Dudley driving his shiny new Ferrari around that he was, by all accounts, old enough to drive. So, he had put in a letter to Lupin saying how he'd really like to learn but had no means of doing so, and from what he understood, Lupin and Moody had paid the Dursleys a visit while he was out for a walk in the park. He figured the reason Tonks hadn't been accompanying them was because she had been tailing him. He knew that there was somebody on his heels every time he left the house, even to turn on the sprinklers, and it annoyed him greatly that he wasn't able to talk to them, due to the fact that they absolutely refused to reveal themselves to him. He didn't see why such secrecy was needed at all, and often made loud, snide remarks about it when he knew they were listening. He knew, for instance, that they were watching at that very moment – and probably having a good laugh at his expense. Rolling his eyes, he started towards the stop sign once more, at a pace that was very much slower than reasonable. It seemed to satisfy Uncle Vernon, however.

"Do you think we could go out of the neighborhood this time?" Harry asked, making sure not to go above ten miles per hour in his excitement.

"I suppose," Uncle Vernon consented grudgingly, "But I don't want any funny fast stuff."

"Nope," Harry agreed, chuckling silently to himself.

He was at about thirteen miles an hour, and the freedom of public roads was in view when Uncle Vernon suddenly stuck his head out of the passenger seat window.

"Ruddy owls delivering letters in the middle of the day," he grumbled.

Harry jammed on the brakes and stuck his head out the window. A very familiar black owl was soaring back in the direction of the Dursleys. Without a moment's hesitation, he pressed his foot onto the gas pedal and wheeled the car around, causing a terribly loud screeching noise in the process.

"What are you d-aaahhhh!" Uncle Vernon screeched, grabbing onto both sides of the seat for support as Harry skillfully maneuvered around corners at about thirty-five miles per hour.

Harry ignored his uncle's yelling and picked up speed as they came to a flat stretch.

"We're _not_ on the freewaaaayyy," Uncle Vernon yelled as Harry blew sharply around a corner.

"Yeah, if we were on the freeway there'd be less turns," Harry agreed calmly as he turned the last corner, now going at about forty miles per hour.

He turned sharply into the driveway, and was fairly sure that half the time he'd just spent speeding back to the house had been on two wheels. He yanked the keys out of the ignition and threw them at his shaking uncle as he jumped out of the car.

"Esperanza!" he yelled, "_Esperanza_!"

The owl that had been hovering outside his window did a quick about-face and swooped down towards him. He hovered in front of Harry's face, proudly holding out a letter-bearing leg. Grinning uncontrollably, Harry untied it. It was his second letter from Silver that day – she had sent him one at three in the morning, as well. Of course, she had written it at around midnight the night before, but all the same, it was his second letter from her that day. After the letter was safely in his hands, Harry turned his grinning face to Esperanza.

"Tired?" he asked, "You can have some of Hedwig's water, if you are."

The owl landed on his shoulder in reply. On his other shoulder, a heavy hand forcefully began to shove him towards the door.

"Get. In. The. House," Uncle Vernon growled.

Muttering about 'bloody owls', he attempted to shoo Esperanza off of Harry's shoulder and ended up with a bleeding finger that caused him to howl with pain as the three of them – four, in Harry's opinion, because Silver's letter counted as a person – stumbled into the house. Aunt Petunia and Dudley appeared immediately as they heard Uncle Vernon's anguished cries, which were a bit too over exaggerated for Harry's liking. Once Uncle Vernon had let go of his shoulder, he began to head towards the staircase in hopes of reading his letter, but Aunt Petunia stepped in front of him.

"Not so fast, young man," she said, eyes glittering with anger, "_What_ happened, and _what_ is that...thing...on your shoulder?"

"The thing on my shoulder is an owl," Harry replied, as if he were speaking to a very small child, "And he," he pointed at Uncle Vernon, "tried to hit it, and so it defended itself by pecking at him. Completely his fault."

At the end, he pointed a finger at Uncle Vernon once more and attempted to get past Aunt Petunia, but she refused to budge out of his way. He did a small jig in place as he waited for her to move, longing to run upstairs and tear open his letter. Uncle Vernon retrieved a band-aid from the first aid kit that was in a cupboard in the hallway, and came back purple in the face and huffing, glaring at Harry murderously. Dudley was watching with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

"And what about that stunt you pulled, boy?" Uncle Vernon demanded, "That driving! It was hideous! You drove _fifty miles per hour_ on a _residential _street!"

Harry was immediately impressed with himself. "Really?" he asked, "I got all the way to fifty?"

Aunt Petunia had her hands clasped over her heart in apparent horror, and Uncle Vernon was shaking with rage. Dudley was having a lot of difficulty suppressing laughter, and stifled snorts were coming from his corner of the hall.

"You're _never_ driving again!" Uncle Vernon yelled at the top of his lungs, "_Never_!"

"I wouldn't count on that," Harry replied.

Esperanza hooted from his shoulder, which caused the entire Dursley family to jump backwards. Harry wasn't sure if it was from surprise or terror – it looked a mixture of both. They were all glaring at Esperanza with fervent suspicion which Harry found quite amusing. He turned to the owl, which was looking at him expectantly.

"Upstairs, third room to the right," he directed.

Esperanza obediently took off up the flight of stairs, causing Aunt Petunia to shriek shrilly and Dudley to gasp in a rather childlike manner.

"He was thirsty," Harry explained patiently, "And I really need to go upstairs and read my letter, please."

"Who's it from?" Uncle Vernon answered suspiciously.

Harry looked at him with a mixture of surprise and amusement. It wasn't likely that Uncle Vernon knew the names of anybody even remotely associated with the magical world.

"The girl at the train station?" Uncle Vernon pressed.

"Girl?" Dudley echoed interestedly, "What girl?"

"What's it to you?" Harry replied, clutching his letter fiercely and half expecting it to be ripped out of his hands at any moment.

"Aha!" Uncle Vernon exclaimed triumphantly, "It _is_ from the girl, isn't it? What's she, your long-lost sister?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah, I kiss my sister all the time," he answered sarcastically.

"Kiss?" Dudley asked impatiently, "Why would you kiss your sister? You have a sister?"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"So she's your...girlfriend," Uncle Vernon gathered.

"Can I just read my letter?" Harry replied impatiently.

Uncle Vernon was staring at him with unreadable emotions on his face – actually, Harry guessed he wasn't really feeling any emotions, just standing there with nothing running through his mind at all. Dudley had to have gotten it from somewhere. Uncle Vernon looked at Aunt Petunia, who hesitantly stepped aside. Harry refrained from giving a whoop as he dashed past them at a full run up the stairs to his room, his letter now probably halfway crushed from being held so tightly.

He burst through the door with a grin on his face. Hedwig was amiably sharing her water with a very thirsty Esperanza. Both animals looked up when he arrived.

"Thanks for bringing it, Esp," he said as he plopped onto his bed, "I mean, Esperanza."

The last time he had called Esperanza 'Esp', the owl had made him chase him around the room for an hour before allowing him to get a hold of Silver's letter. It was not a mistake Harry felt like repeating. Besides, he had waited long enough to open it since it had arrived. He eagerly tore the envelope open and unfolded the letter. The sight of Silver's handwriting made him feel both a skip of his heartbeat and a terrible longing at the same time. He knew that she was writing to him with loving thoughts just by scanning the letter. All the i's were dotted with hearts, and his name was written in beautiful but no doubt painstaking calligraphy.

_Harry,_

_I hope you're doing well since...well, the last few hours. I'm sorry for writing you so late last night without explanation – I couldn't sleep because I was thinking of you, so I just had to write you._

Harry grinned as he thought of the letter she had written him. It was, as Ron would say, "full of disgusting mush", but he had savored every word of it.

_Right now I'm sitting in the backyard of Grimmauld Place, watching Charisma run around. It really is a nice backyard, you know, but don't let anyone else know. There are a few places that I want to show you when you get here. They're a bit hidden, since the backyard magically expands, but they're very beautiful. It's a bit like the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, except you don't have to worry about terrible creatures coming and biting your head off at any moment._

Harry couldn't help but think there was a double meaning to her words. Perhaps she was thinking that those 'hidden' places in the backyard would be good for a snog? Or maybe he was just being too hopeful.

_I miss you more than ever, Harry, and that's why Esperanza agreed to go and bring you another letter nearly as soon as he had gotten back. He knows. This morning I gave Dumbledore a good yell, and all he could do was chuckle at me. Can you believe it? I'm getting angrier and angrier – he isn't showing any intentions of bringing you home soon. He's even hinted that he's not going to until the last week of vacation! Oh Harry, I don't mean to disappoint you with this news, but just forewarn you so that you're not waiting in vain for something to happen. I'm so sorry, sweetie! _

Harry would like to see exactly what would be able to keep him from Apparating to Silver the second he turned seventeen – he didn't think Voldemort himself would be able to, considering how badly he wanted to be with her. On several occasions he had nearly summoned the Knight Bus for a quick visit, but he knew he wouldn't so much as board it before whoever was tailing him dragged him back to the Dursleys.

_There is some good news, though! Well...kind of. My trial is going to be held in three days, along with the Malfoys', Lestrange's, and my mother's (oh and most of the other Death Eaters...). Dumbledore says that you can come, since you were a witness to what happened during that battle. He absolutely refuses to let you come home for even a few hours afterwards, but I'm going to convince him to by the time the trial rolls around, I am! I've even convinced Sev (don't tell him I called him that) to ask Dumbledore if you can stay for a while, if not come home altogether._

_All in all, I love you and I miss you a lot, and I would keep writing but I hear Dumbledore's voice inside, which means that he's back and I can pester him some more to bring you home. _

_I love you,  
__Silver  
__XOXO (x is for kisses, and o is for hugs, but what's the letter for snogging? Just kidding!)_

Harry grinned a bit evilly as he read the last part of her letter, but then realization came crashing down on him as he realized that it looked to be a good long while before he would so much as kiss her again – unless he did it in court, which might or might not help the case along. He reread the letter numerous times, relishing in her neat and loving handwriting. Finally, he rolled off of his bed and sat down at his desk, halfway aware of the two pairs of large owl eyes staring down at him.

He glanced up at his calendar. Eight days until his birthday and he wasn't sure if he would make it. With a sigh, he pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. He wondered what to write – he didn't want her worrying about him too much, but she would know if he was lying. He knew she would love it if he wrote about how much he missed her, but he really couldn't figure out how to put it into words. She knew he was no poet, though – or at least he hoped she did.

_Silver,_

_Don't apologize for sending a late letter – don't apologize for sending any letters, ever! Besides, that one you wrote me was quite...mushy. Which is good, of course._

_Right now I'm sitting in my room, where I'll probably be for a good long while unless I leave the house completely. You see, I was having "driving lessons" with my uncle, and I saw Esperanza taking a letter to his house, so I kind of sped back. Okay, so I reached fifty miles an hour in a residential neighborhood. But after all, it was your letter!_

_As far as getting out of this hellhole (excuse my language, darling, have I mentioned lately how much I love you?) is concerned, I'd like to see what'll stop me from coming straight to your side the second I turn seventeen. I'm not planning on staying here a second longer than I have to. Besides that, my aunt and uncle will kick me out when they find out I can use magic freely, anyway._

_I miss you more than I thought was humanly possible to miss someone, and I wish that I could put it into words, but really, sweetheart, I don't know how. All I can tell you is that I miss you, I love you, and I'm never going to let you go once I see you. If that happens to be at the trial, you'll be able to talk in between kisses, right? Because I'm not sure if I'll be able to refrain._

_Write back soon!_

_I love you,  
__Harry  
__XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (think that counts as snogging? Maybe if I added some more?)_

Satisfied, Harry folded up the letter and slid it into an envelope. He glanced up at the two owls, whom were staring at him innocently.

"Were you two reading my letter?" he accused.

He was fairly sure that they had been at least trying to. He grinned as he grabbed a piece of string to tie the letter to Hedwig's leg.

"I'm gonna send Hedwig back with you so that she can bring Silver's letter back to me," he explained to Esperanza, "That way you can get some rest."

Both owls gave him affectionate nips before flying away, leaving Harry alone to anticipate Silver's next letter. With a sigh, he stretched out on his bed. _Three more days, three more days, _he chanted to himself, _I get to see her in three more days._ He desperately hoped that Dumbledore wouldn't force him to come back to the Dursleys after the trial, and if he did, at least he should get to spend some time with Silver. Of course, it'd be awfully hard to drag him away from her once he had her in his arms...

He decided to go outside and really bother whoever was watching him at that moment. He decided he'd take a nice little jog through the middle of the street, and then, when he reached town, he'd go into a really crowded store where it'd be hard to keep an eye on him, and then he'd slip out and walk through the park a bit, maybe climb a tree or two...

He headed downstairs still cooking up plans to annoy the heck out of whoever was tailing him. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia looked up from watching Dudley perform some weird school march for only a second as he passed. He didn't acknowledge them in the slightest, he merely opened the door, stepped outside...and then back inside. Hanging right next to the door were the keys to the Dursley's various vehicles, including Dudley's Ferrari. A smile lit his face as he surveyed all the keys. He decided that he'd take the Ferrari for a drive.

"Hey Dudders, I'm gonna go for a quick drive in your car!" he called.

He then snatched the keys and dashed out the door, vaguely hearing roars of rage coming from both Uncle Vernon and Dudley as he did so. He hit the "Unlock" button on the keychain, and heard the satisfactory popping of the locks. Within a moment he was seated in the expensive car, turning the key in the ignition, and driving off with a cheery wave, leaving the Dursleys standing dumbly in the driveway. They could have at least thought to get another car and drive after him – but no, they weren't that smart. He headed straight for town at a slightly fast rate, chuckling to himself as he did so. He knew that he had successfully ditched whoever had been supposed to watch him, and they were probably having a heart attack at that very moment.

He came to a red light and glanced around the car interestedly. Yes, it was very nice. Candy wrappers littered the ground, along with some cigarette butts. He rolled his eyes. Dudley was going to ward off every girl in the country with his flab, stupidity, and now bad breath. What was that child's problem? He glanced in the rearview mirror to see that nobody was coming after him. Odd, really, that it should take them that long to think of an idea. But then again, it was Dudley he was thinking about. He was probably wailing too loudly for Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to think of anything except shutting him up.

He pulled up in the driveway of a casual-looking restaurant and checked his pockets for money. Nothing. With a sigh, he reclined the seat back, snickering once more at the thought of whoever was tailing him – now not only would they see his car – or rather, the car he had taken – parked there, but when they went into the restaurant to look for him, he wouldn't be there. _Serves them right, though, _he thought to himself, _The least they could have done was bring Silver along and let her spend the day with me. Or Hermione...or Ron! I mean, Mr. Weasley could easily bring Ron along with him while he follows me around all day._ He lay in the car, which was actually quite comfortable, for a while before getting back up and looking carefully around. Nobody appeared to have followed him, either the Dursleys or someone else. He realized that he had been hoping for someone to find him – although mostly the latter. At least he'd get to see Uncle Vernon's face go the color of a grape if the Dursleys had found him, though.

He sat back up, bored, and turned the car back on. Without really knowing where he was going, he aimlessly drove around town. He glanced at all the shops as he passed them on the nearly empty street, and suddenly, he swerved to the side and jammed on the brakes. His eyes were focused on a shop whose sign read, "Long's Jewelers". He found himself climbing out of the car and walking to the window, almost in a trance. Glittering up at him was a multitude of rings – diamond rings. He stooped a bit in order to get a closer look at them. He could imagine them glittering on Silver's finger as she reached up to brush her hair out of her face, or waved to him whilst they were in Quidditch practice. He walked inside in order to stare at the rings more closely, and jumped about three feet in the air when he heard a voice.

"Looking for a ring?" inquired an old man with graying hair as he walked to the other side of the counter.

"Um," Harry replied uncertainly, gazing at the rings and then back up at the man, "I'm looking _at_ them, but I probably won't..."

"Yes, you probably won't buy," he said knowingly, "You're just looking for some that would look good on your girl."

"Yeah," Harry replied, relieved that the man understood.

"So, when are you going to ask?" the man inquired.

"Ask?" Harry echoed dumbly.

"You know, pop the question," the man prompted, "Or have you already?"

It took Harry a moment to figure out what the man was implying.

"No, I haven't," he said quickly, "I mean, I'm not going to. Well, I am, but – wait, no I'm not. I haven't...I don't think...I was just looking!"

The man chuckled as Harry stumbled over his words. "Trust me, son, I've seen many a young man walk in here and look at rings for their girl, but you – you have the gleam in your eye. The gleam of love, as I like to call it." He chuckled again, rather softly, and continued. "Yes, you're going to propose, all right. You just wait and see."

Eyes wide, Harry began to back away from the counter. "I, um, had better go," he said quickly, "Thanks for um...that."

With that, he tripped his way out of the store and dazedly walked to the car. He managed to get in and lock the doors before running a hand through his hair confusedly, trying to figure out what, exactly, had just happened.

"Propose?" he asked aloud, "That would mean...getting married. And that would mean..."

_The best thing that could ever happen to you? _a voice in his head suggested.

"No, it would mean..." he began, but he paused. What would it mean?

_It would mean that Silver is yours. It would mean that you two would share a life, a house, a family. It would mean that you're Silver's. It would mean that you wouldn't have to go so much as a night without her. It would mean..._

"Shut up!" he commanded irritably to the voice in his head, "I can't _propose_. We haven't even talked about...anything!"

_She did say that she couldn't live without you, _the voice replied, _And you know you can't live without her. And you don't have to, if you just ask a simple, four-word question._

"It's not simple," he argued, not realizing that he was talking to himself, "And she...she wouldn't do it. She wouldn't. She's too good for me."

He said it simply, as if it were a fact of life, and then he wondered what he was saying. Was he saying that Silver going to dump him for someone better? Was he saying that she didn't really love him at all? But then again, the way she looked at him – a look reserved for no one else. The way she allowed him to take her into his arms and kiss her, surely she wouldn't allow anyone else to do that, ever. But did she love him enough to marry him – to dedicate her life to him? Did he love her enough? Definitely yes to the last question. He wondered why it hadn't crossed his mind before.

Dazedly, he drove back to the Dursleys, not bothering to fathom what punishments they probably had in store for him. He parked the car in it's previous position, perhaps a bit crooked, and walked through the door. Instantly he was bombarded with questions, accusations, and threats. It was so that he could hardly hear a question for the fact that it was being drowned out among many others. The one word that he could hear repeatedly was the famous, 'Why?'

"I had to go look at engagement rings," he announced.

This successfully shut them all up. They stared at him, dumbfounded, as he made his way up to his room, still feeling as if he had been run over with about twenty large trucks. He collapsed onto his bed, deep in thought.

"Silver, will you marry me?" he asked quietly to the unoccupied room.

The words sent a chill down his spine. A good chill. He was half anticipating an answer from the corners of his room, or his closet, but nothing happened.

"Bloody hell, why haven't I thought of this before now?" he muttered, repeatedly hitting his head on his pillow.

He thought for a good hour, laying on the same position on his bed, before he came to a conclusion.

"I want to marry Silver," he announced.

He then groaned and began to hit his head on his pillow again. He was definitely going to have to have a talk with Lupin – or wait, Lupin wasn't married. Perhaps Mr. Weasley would be the better one to ask. He decided to just talk to them both. There had to be a way to go about it – it couldn't be as simple as just asking. And then, of course, there was Silver. He couldn't bring himself to think of the possibility that she didn't want to marry him, and yet it weighed heavily on his mind. He sighed and rolled over onto his back.

He was definitely going to have to get some answers, and soon.


	2. The Trial, Part 1

**Comments: **Okay, so apparently in the epilogue I put that I am not human. What that is supposed to say is that I am, by all accounts, human. Whoops. –blush blush blush- Either that or you can just take it to mean that I'm some sort of mutant. Both ways work. But, ah, I think I will go edit that just because it calls attention to the fact that I am (am, am, am!) human. And we wouldn't want that, now would we? Besides, I spelt epilogue wrong like three times, too.

Oh yeah, and apparently the English and American versions of...road lingo...are quite different. If you couldn't tell, I'm an American, so...yeah. Freeways are the same as motorways, yes, and I was using miles per hour instead of kilometers per hour. Sorry!

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**Chapter 2 – The Trial**

Harry groaned and buried his head under his pillow as Ron shook him awake rather roughly.

"Geroff, Ron," he mumbled.

He heard a soft, feminine giggle from the corner of his room and shot upwards immediately. Unfortunately, he crashed into Lupin's head as he did so.

"Agh!" Lupin exclaimed, bringing his hand up to his head.

Harry ignored him and pushed him aside in order to see who else was in his room. He couldn't stop the disappointment from showing when he saw that it was only Tonks.

"What're you doing here?" he inquired curiously.

"The trial," Lupin grunted, clutching his head and looking at Harry warily.

"Trial?" Harry echoed.

Then he jumped out of bed with a whoop and ran to his closet. He nearly began to change in front of Lupin and Tonks, but remembering that Tonks was, indeed, a female, he walked into his closet, shut the door, and dressed in the dark. He then barged out and ran to his desk, shifting through his drawers hurriedly.

"In a hurry, Harry?" Tonks asked amusedly.

"Uh," he replied, not really listening to what she was saying.

He grabbed his box of Silver's letters and dumped it out on his bed. After a few moments of digging around in the pile, he found his comb. He dragged it twice through his unruly hair and figured that it was as good as it was going to get. He threw it onto his desk and then began to carefully compile Silver's letters back into the box.

"I take it those are from Silver," Lupin observed.

"Uh-huh," Harry agreed, gingerly pressing them down into the box, "We're going to see her now, right?"

He couldn't keep the eagerness out of his voice.

"Not if you're going to be as happy to see her as you are to see us," Lupin replied teasingly.

Harry grinned. "Sorry," he apologized, shutting the lid of the box with care and then enfolding each of the adults in a hurried hug.

"So, we get to go see her now, right?" he pressed as he released Lupin.

Lupin grinned. "Well, you'll probably get to see her after the trial. She just about punched Dumbledore this morning for saying no, and Snape looked about ready to give him a black eye, himself."

"Snape _wants_ me to see Silver?" Harry asked dubiously.

"Not exactly," Tonks replied, giggling.

Lupin exchanged an amused glance with her before answering. "Snape wants Silver to be happy," he replied.

"I guess," Harry answered dubiously.

"You should be grateful that Snape stuck up for you, Harry," Tonks said, her voice both gentle and chiding.

"He only did it for Silver," Harry protested.

"That may be true," Lupin conceded, "But in case you haven't noticed, he really doesn't trust you with her in the first place. It took a lot for him to yell at Dumbledore so that you could try and squeeze in a five minute snog before you leave."

For a moment Harry was dumbfounded at Lupin's choice of words. Had he just said snog? Since when did Lupin talk about snogging?

"Uh, okay," he said finally.

Tonks looked at him amusedly. "What, do you think Lupin's too old to talk about snogging?" she quipped.

Lupin grinned and blushed a bit, but Harry was the one who really turned red. "Well, he's just never talked about it before," he replied.

Tonks giggled and turned to Lupin. "Why ever not?" she asked.

He shrugged. "He seemed to be doing pretty well on his own," he replied.

This caused Tonks to burst into helpless giggles. "You're just a chicken!" she accused, poking Lupin in the side.

"Am not!" Lupin replied, poking her back.

Still giggling, Tonks began to reach out once more, but Harry cleared his throat pointedly, and both adults straightened and did their best to look innocent.

"Right then, we should be going," Lupin said, as if Harry had been detaining them.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Say goodbye to your family, now," Lupin instructed.

Harry glanced at the clock dubiously. It was six thirty on a Saturday morning – and Uncle Vernon would hate to be awoken. Then again, he really didn't have time to write a letter. He stuck his head out the door and yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'm going to a magical trial! Hopefully I won't be back later, but I probably will!"

Distinct grunts from Uncle Vernon and Dudley's room told him that he had successfully gotten his message across.

"We'd better be going before one of them comes in to beat me to a pulp," Harry commented brightly.

Exchanging glances, both Lupin and Tonks put a hand on his shoulder. Harry waited anxiously, and suddenly he found himself in the lobby of the Ministry of Magic. He glanced around wildly for Silver, ignoring Lupin's persistent tugs on his shoulder.

"Harry, she's not here," he finally said.

Shoulders slumping disappointedly, Harry turned in the direction Lupin was pulling him. Trying not to look too amused, Lupin handed him a badge that read, "Harry Potter – Witness".

"Witness?" Harry asked as he pinned it onto his shirt, "Am I going to be questioned?"

"You might be," Tonks replied, "Now come on."

Harry followed her down the corridors he himself had walked to his trial a year before, but instead of entering into the room where his trial was held, they kept going.

"We're going to a different courtroom?" he asked interestedly.

"This trial should be a bit bigger than yours was," Lupin replied.

And indeed, the room certainly was. Lupin pushed open the double doors, and Harry found himself in a room that was at least twice the size of the one his trial had been held in. There were a few people in it, getting seated early, he supposed. He looked around for a sign of Silver, but saw none.

"Come on, Harry, let's get our seats," Tonks said.

"Where's Silver?" he replied, "Are we going to save her a seat?"

Tonks and Lupin exchanged a meaningful glance.

"Harry, she's one of the key people in this trial," Lupin explained patiently, "She's a witness to convict all of the Death Eaters that are going to be brought up on stage, and she's going to have to get through the case of her custody. She's not going to be able to sit with us – her seat is at the front."

Harry processed this information slowly as Lupin spoke. "Well, do I get to talk with her before the trial?" he asked finally.

"She's going to be prepping until the trial begins," Tonks replied.

Harry frowned as he allowed himself to be led to his seat, which was about ten rows back from the aisle that was to the right of the center row. As they sat down, Lupin glanced at his watch. Harry noticed that both Lupin and Tonks, who was on Lupin's other side, seemed very tense. People began to file in, and Harry's heart gave a pleasant jolt as he saw the whole of the Weasley family – minus Percy - headed towards him, all of them beaming at him. Ron hurriedly took a seat next to him, and Fred, George, and Ginny all sat on Ron's other side. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie sat to the right of Tonks.

"Hey, Harry," Ron greeted, and he was echoed by the twins and Ginny.

"Hey," Harry replied.

"How's your summer been?" Ron asked sympathetically.

Harry grinned as he told them about how his driving lesson the previous day, and then how he had taken Dudley's Ferrari for a drive. He wisely chose to leave out the part about looking at engagement rings in the window, and left marriage completely out of the conversation, although it was now, once again, weighing heavily on his mind. As the others snickered at the thought of Harry stealing his cousin's car, Harry turned to Lupin.

"Uh, Moony?" he asked.

Lupin looked at him questioningly.

"I was wondering...if it wouldn't be too much to ask...if you and Mr. Weasley could...if I could talk to you two. Alone. Soon. Now would be nice."

"You want to talk to me and Arthur?" Lupin repeated.

Harry nodded.

"Ah, well, the trial is going to start soon, so do you think you could wait until afterwards?" he said.

Harry frowned. "I guess," he replied unhappily.

Lupin looked halfway amused at Harry's disappointed response. "Is it something important?" he asked curiously.

"I think you could say that," Harry replied, a bit sarcastically.

"Ah, well, we'll ask Dumbledore if we have time after the trial," he said.

Harry nodded and turned back to see many curious eyes staring at him. Hermione had recently joined them, accompanied by Moody, so Harry now had six pairs of questioning eyes staring at him. He blushed, and silently cursed himself for doing so.

"What do you want to talk to my dad for?" Ron asked finally.

"It's...it's a...surprise," Harry said lamely.

They all looked at him disbelievingly, and he decided it was time for a subject change. "Erm, hi Hermione," he said in what he hoped was an innocently random voice.

Hermione smirked at him as she sat down next to Ginny. "Pathetic attempt at changing the subject," she informed him, "Now what are you _really_ up to?"

To Harry's dismay, he blushed even more. "Nothing," he lied.

Hermione giggled. "Yeah, and that's why you're bright red," she replied.

Harry pointedly looked away, waiting for his facial temperature to lower. All at once, people began to file in at an extremely fast rate. He strained for a sign of Silver, but saw none. Fudge walked in, and immediately the talking dimmed to hushed mutterings as he sat himself at the head of the court. Ron suddenly tapped Harry on the shoulder and made a motion towards the door with his head. Harry turned, and his heart gave a great leap. Silver and Snape had entered the room, and were now the subject of much whispering and pointing. He made to get out of his seat, but Lupin firmly held him back.

"Not now, Harry," he said quietly.

"Why not?" Harry answered, straining against his hand.

Hermione spun to look at him disapprovingly. "Just look at her, Harry!" she hissed, annoyed.

Harry looked at Silver and realized that she was showing signs of nervousness – many signs of nervousness. Her brow was creased in concentration as she listened to whatever Snape was saying quietly to her, and she was biting her lip. She clung to the side of Snape's robes with one hand, and with the other she was twirling her hair around. Snape had one hand on her shoulder, and continued to speak to her quietly as they came up the aisle. Silver was oblivious to everyone around her, but seemed to be focused on the front of the courtroom. She passed them without even looking at them, and Harry caught a snatch of what Snape was saying.

"...no need to be afraid, now, calm down. Remember what we talked about. You can do this, Silver, you're going to be fine. I won't let anybody take you..."

Snape's voice faded away and Harry spun to face Lupin. "What does he mean, let anybody take her?" he demanded, "Her mother can't possibly take her, can she?"

"Since Silver is a girl, the court is going to favor her mother over Snape for custody of her," Lupin replied grimly, "Especially since her mother is pleading innocent to all charges."

Harry wheeled to face Silver once more. Snape had taken her to the first row and sat her down towards the middle. He sat next to her and allowed her to bury her face in his robes as he placed an arm around her. Harry could see grim determination in his eyes as he looked up at Fudge and the rest of the jury. Suddenly Lupin tensed from beside him. Harry turned and followed his gaze to the door, and the entire courtroom fell completely silent as Alexandra Meliflua entered.

In hushed, reverent whispers, people pointed first to Alexandra, and then to Silver and Snape. Eyes widened as people put two and two together, and, no doubt, rumors were spread.

Alexandra wore a confident smirk as she strolled down the aisle at a brisk pace. Her intense blue eyes searched intently through the faces of the crowd. As they passed over the aisle where Harry was sitting, her smirk intensified. She stopped next to their aisle, surveying them all with a superior look that unnerved Harry greatly. He wondered what the reason for her confidence was. Still smirking, she gave her hair a toss and continued down the aisle. He watched as her eyes locked onto Snape's. Snape gave her a look of utter hatred and put the hand that wasn't around Silver on her head, as if shielding her from her mother. Alexandra gave a laugh that echoed through the courtroom, and Harry saw Silver move closer to Snape. With a shake of her head, Alexandra sat a good few seats away from Silver, although there was nobody in between the two. Snape's grip on Silver tightened as he glared at Alexandra, no doubt wishing he could be the one to decide what her sentence would be. Harry had a feeling it would involve torture.

"So, Severus," she said, her voice ringing through the courtroom and causing everyone to rivet their attention to the threesome in the front row.

Snape glared at her in reply.

"Planning on trying for custody?" she inquired.

"No," Snape replied, "I'm planning on getting it."

His words seemed to inspire some confidence in Silver, who relaxed visibly. Alexandra's face, on the other hand, curled into a smirk of amusement.

"Why would anybody give _you_ the custody of a child?" she inquired, her voice a low hiss, "You know you won't get it. Nobody in their right mind would appoint Severus Snape, known Death Eater and rotten old git, the custody of a child."

"He's not a git!" Silver exclaimed suddenly, turning to face her mother.

Despite the situation, Harry smiled. Both Alexandra and Snape looked momentarily shocked at Silver's passionate response. There was no answer, as Fudge suddenly cleared his throat and rapped on the podium, calling everyone to attention.

"Very well," Fudge said, "Now that everyone is present, we shall begin with the trial of custody."

"You can't do that!" Snape growled suddenly, "Her mother needs to be sentenced."

Fudge looked from Snape, to Alexandra, and finally to Silver. He looked thoughtful for only a moment, before his eyes flickered to the right and landed on Lucius Malfoy. Harry watched as Lucius made a deft shake of his head.

"We shall begin," Fudge repeated slowly, "With the trial of custody."

Snape looked murderous, and Fudge appeared to be uncomfortable. He glanced to the side, and Harry saw a very familiar head of red hair bobbing excitedly. Percy. He saw that the entire Weasley family was now completely tense, looking frozen in their seats.

"Custody trial held on the twenty-sixth of August," he said boredly, "Child of Alexandra Meliflua and unknown father-"

Harry watched as Silver turned in her seat to shoot Dumbledore, who was sitting in the second row as well, a death glare. Dumbledore gave her an amused and innocent look, and she turned back towards the front with a roll of her eyes.

"-Custody will be vied for by Alexandra Meliflua, Severus Snape, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy."

Silver gave a whimper that was audible throughout the courtroom, and Snape jumped up, shaking with anger.

"I was not told that there would be others trying for custody!" he yelled furiously.

"We do not make it our business to-"Fudge began, but he was cut off.

"Well, you should," Snape growled in a voice that commanded silence.

Harry made as if to get up, but Lupin and Ron yanked him down. He realized what was happening at the same moment that Lupin said it, in a low whisper.

"They're trying to increase their chances of getting her."

"Please, Severus," Fudge was saying, seeming to suddenly realize that he was, indeed, the Minister of Magic, "Take a seat and stay calm."

"Oh, I'll take a seat," Snape began, "After I-"

The courtroom never got to find out exactly what Snape was going to do before he sat down due to the fact that Silver had grasped his arm and was firmly pulling him down. He turned to look at her for a moment before complying, glaring at Fudge as if he would like nothing better than to kill him. Alexandra gave a soft laugh from her seat, tilting her head back slightly as she did so.

"What's wrong, Severus?" she asked innocently.

"What's wrong is that a bloody bunch of Death Eaters is competing for the custody of a trial!" Snape roared.

Suddenly he looked thoughtful. "With the exception of myself, of course, but that's besides the point."

"Now, Severus," Fudge said, "You have no proof that th-"

"Actually, I happen to have enough bloody proof for the lot of you idiots," Snape interrupted, "Which you would have had the opportunity to see had you ran the trial for custody last, AS IT WAS BLOODY SUPPOSED TO BE!"

Snape's voice echoed through the courtroom, but other than the sound of his voice, everyone was completely silent. Fudge looked taken aback, as did Alexandra. On Fudge's left sat first Amelia Bones, who looked very confused, indeed. Further down sat Umbridge, who looked slightly pleased, much to Harry's dismay. He felt a surge of hatred towards the teacher, and gripped the edge of the seat so tightly that he thought he might break it.

"Ah...Severus...surely...well, you would...the trial of custody must be run first, you see, because...well, it just has to," Fudge stammered.

"Because you're getting paid for running it first," Snape challenged.

"No!" Fudge exclaimed, much too quickly, "I certainly...no...the idea!"

Snape gave a derisive snort. "Fine then, Cornelius, let's just get this over with," he said.

Suddenly, Snape's gaze transferred to Percy, who was scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. He narrowed his eyes, and ever so slowly, Percy's eyes rose, and widened when they came into contact with Snape. He dropped the quill he was using to write immediately, and Snape gave a satisfied smirk. Fudge watched Snape with a mixture of apprehension and amusement before continuing.

"Right then," he said, struggling to get some papers in order, "The, ah, custody. First to be questioned, Alexandra Meliflua."

Alexandra stood up with a confident toss of her head, smirking at Snape as she walked past him and sat down in a chair facing the courtroom, one leg crossed over the other. Fudge simply looked at her for a moment before beginning.

"Miss Meliflua," he said in a businesslike tone, "You have been charged with the following concerning your daughter: physical abuse, verbal abuse, and magical abuse. How do you plead?"

"Innocent," she said boredly.

"Right, then," Fudge said, "Now, ah, would you mind explaining exactly why a trial of custody is needed?"

"Well," she said, smiling much too sweetly at Snape, "I went out to go shopping one day for Silver and I because we were running out of good things to eat-"

"You barely fed the child the crusts of your bread," Snape interrupted.

"_Severus_," Fudge snapped, losing patience, "Please do the court a favor and remain silent until you are asked to speak."

Glowering, Snape complied.

Looking triumphant, Alexandra continued. "-So, after buying some bread, sandwich meat, and a bag of candy, I went home. I had always preferred to walk to and fro, you see, because the view is so beautiful. When I came into sight of my house, I saw _him_," she pointed a finger at Snape, "taking _my_ gorgeous daughter by force!"

She then dissolved into completely fake tears. The entire court shifted it's gaze to Snape, seeing how he would handle this accusation. For a moment, he simply sat and blinked at Alexandra before he recovered himself.

"Oh _please_," he grumbled, "Is that the _best_ you could do?"

He shook his head and leaned back in his seat, one arm draped over Silver's shoulders. Silver looked mildly surprised at his reaction, but didn't say anything. Snape turned his gaze to Fudge, smirking slightly.

"Go on, Cornelius," he prompted.

Looking shocked that Snape hadn't killed Alexandra, Fudge hurriedly continued.

"And, ah, why are you pleading for custody of the child?" he asked, reading the question from a piece of paper in front of him.

"Because," Alexandra said in a tearful voice, "She's my only child, and I...I would just be _devastated_ without her."

Fudge nodded sympathetically, as did Amelia Bones. Umbridge looked sickened, but grudgingly gave a solitary nod when prompted by Amelia. Harry felt his heart drop to his stomach.

"What day was it?" Snape asked suddenly.

Everyone turned to look at him. He was glaring at Alexandra determinedly.

"What...what day was what?" she asked.

"When Silver was taken," he replied, "What was the date?"

"I...I don't...I don't have to answer that," she stammered, apparently taken by surprise.

"And why didn't you report her missing?" Snape continued, "After all, you knew I worked at Hogwarts, so obviously, if I had taken her, she had to have been there with me. Why didn't you come and get her? And why don't you know the date she was taken? If she's so dear to you, why can't you remember it, and why didn't you come after her?"

Alexandra glared at him defiantly from her seat, and Snape looked especially triumphant.

"Severus, you do not have permission to question the defendant...the accused...the...you do not have permission to question her!" he exclaimed, and then, with a glance at Percy, "That will not be recorded."

Percy nodded, scribbled what looked like a third of the page out, and then sat with his quill at the ready. Fudge turned to Amelia and Umbridge, who were staring at Snape in a kind of questioning fascination that Harry decided was quite amusing.

"Any questions?" Fudge asked.

"No," Umbridge replied immediately.

"Yes," Amelia replied at the same time.

Umbridge glared at her fellow worker, but Amelia ignored her as she fixed her gaze on Alexandra.

"Miss Meliflua," she said in a pleasant tone of voice, "Would you mind telling me what the date was when your daughter was taken?"

Alexandra glared at Amelia for all she was worth. "The..." she paused, probably trying to think up a date. "The seventh of July," she finally said.

"It was the nineteenth!" Snape crowed triumphantly.

Everybody turned to him, and he gave them a patronizing look. "What?" he asked, "If I kidnapped the child, at least I get to decide the date it happened."

Silver smiled from beside him, and Fudge looked vaguely amused. Alexandra glared at him with even more hatred – if that was possible. Snape simply smirked at her.

"Erm...right," Fudge said, looking to be battling between laughing at or reprimanding Snape, "You may return to your seat, Miss Meliflua. Next we have...Mrs. Lestrange."

Harry looked around for Lestrange, but didn't see her until she stood up from beside Lucius. She walked past Snape slowly, giving him a sickeningly sweet smile.

"You had better do a better job than she did," Snape told her, gesturing to Alexandra.

Lestrange just made a face at him as she walked up and took her seat.

"Ah, Mrs. Lestrange," Fudge greeted, shuffling through his papers. He finally frowned as his eyes landed on the words. "I see you have also been charged with physical and verbal abuse of the child," he noted, "Well, how do you plead?"

"Innocent," she replied instantly.

"Right," Fudge said, "Please explain to us why you are needed to have custody of the child."

"Well, Alexandra is absolutely my _best friend_," Lestrange said in a girly voice, "And she was completely heartbroken when her poor, innocent, daughter was taken from her. She knows that since she's been charged with these utterly ridiculous charges that she may not get custody, and she wanted to make sure that if she didn't, at least I could. She knows I'd take proper care of the sweet dear, you see."

At this, she shot Silver a smile. Silver made a face at her in reply. Fudge looked back and forth between the two females with a hint of amusement. He then turned to Amelia and Umbridge.

"Questions?" he inquired.

"No," Umbridge stated.

Amelia looked thoughtful for a moment. Umbridge glared menacingly at her. "Erm, no," she finally decided.

Fudge nodded and glanced at Percy. "Got it?" he asked.

Percy's head bobbed enthusiastically up and down.

"Court will be taking a fifteen minute recess," Fudge announced.

Immediately Harry vaulted out of his seat and climbed over the others. He was going to Silver whether they liked it or not. He fought his way past the crowd that was headed towards the door when he felt somebody fall into his arms.

"Uh, sorry," he said absentmindedly, peering over them for a sign of Silver.

"You are?" Silver asked with a giggle from his arms.

He looked down at her in surprise, and then grinned. He nearly pulled her in for a kiss, but he then remembered the look of nervousness on her face that she wore when she entered the courtroom.

"Hey," he said, stroking her hair gently, "How are you?"

"I'm okay," she replied, a hint of mischief in her eyes, "I think I might be better if you kissed me."

He grinned and willingly obliged, pulling her into a gentle and reassuring kiss. She poured her emotions into him, and he sensed anger, sadness, but above all, fear. He pulled away and pressed his forehead against hers, distantly taking notice of Snape in the background. He stroked her cheek gently, and she closed her eyes to his touch, making him want to kiss her all over again in a very different manner than he had previously.

"Oh, Harry," she said suddenly, "If they get me..."

She trailed off as her voice broke, and Harry pulled her into a hug. "They're not going to get you," he said fiercely.

She sniffled against his shoulder, and he could tell that she was suppressing tears. "I c...can't imagine living with L...L..._him_," she said, shuddering against him.

Harry was surprised at the fact that she couldn't seem to bring herself to say Lucius' name. He wondered what, exactly, Lucius had done to her – but on the other hand, he might not want to know. He didn't ask, but simply rubbed her back soothingly. In their silence, he caught a snatch of Snape's words.

"Filthy, rotten, disgusting lies," Snape snarled angrily, "We should have thought of that – we should have all run for custody – Dumbledore should've bloody run for custody!"

Harry felt Silver looking intently over his shoulder, and he turned her slightly so that he was able to see, as well. Snape was shaking with anger his hands in fists, looking as if he were about to punch the first person that talked to him.

"Well, Severus," Lupin said calmly, "You're the only one that's not charged with some form of abuse or the other."

"I bloody well better not be," Snape growled, "But that's not it."

Lupin fixed Snape with a questioning stare.

"My father," Snape said, thrusting each word from his mouth with hatred before glaring stonily at the floor.

Silver gently pushed against Harry's chest. "I have to go to him," she said, giving him an apologetic glance, "It hurts him to talk about his father."

Harry nodded and let her go. She gave him a brief and longing kiss before trotting over to Snape and tugging on his sleeve hesitantly. He turned to her with a sharp glance, but when he saw her, it melted away to be replaced with both appreciation and shock.

"Good Merlin, child," he said, "Why aren't you with Potter?"

She simply put her arms around him in reply. He gazed down at her with an unreadable expression on his face, quickly to be replaced with one of alarm when she began to shake.

"What is it?" he asked, concern lacing his harsh voice.

"I don't want them to have me," Silver replied shakily.

"I won't let them take you," Snape said calmly, "You know that."

"But I want to belong to you," she answered, her voice lined with a sweet innocence that was completely irresistible.

Snape tilted her chin upwards and brushed away a tear that was running down her cheek. "No tears," he said, trying to sound annoyed, "You don't need papers for that."

She smiled at him and pulled him into a hug that looked as if it had the potential to cut off his circulation.

"Good heavens, child," Snape grunted, "You're going to kill me."

She giggled and loosened her grip. Snape looked a bit relieved. She looked up at him questioningly, and he looked from her to Harry with a mildly amused expression on her face.

"Go on, you and Potter still have a good ten minutes," he said grudgingly.

Beaming at him, she broke away and danced over to Harry. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him lightly as she reached him. He grinned at her in a rather teasing way.

"What?" she asked curiously, tugging at his hair.

"Do the words 'mood swings' mean anything to you?" he replied.

She giggled. "Nope," She replied, "I'm having trouble with those two and 'emotional'."

"I'll bet," he muttered, causing her to giggle once more.

He reached forward and pulled her into his arms, where she rested her head against his chest and gave a contented sigh. He couldn't bear to think of what would happen if anybody other than Snape gained custody of her. Breathing out a sigh, he pushed the thought out of his mind as he planted a kiss atop her head. All that mattered right then was that they were together, and he was going to enjoy that for as long as he could.

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**Note: **I start school on Wednesday, so I might not be updating as much! I will try to update at least twice a week, but I'm not sure what my workload is going to be, and so on. Wish me luck!


	3. The Trial, Part 2

**Comments: **Yeah, some people have mentioned that the court would probably have spells on it to make them tell the truth, but what fun would it be if they all told the truth? Nah, we'll say our court is faulty or something. Lol.

Oh, and also, really, this trial is for two reasons – one, for Silver's custody, and two, to convict the death eaters that were involved in the battles at the end of Learning to Cope, where they were trying to kill Harry's family. Since we all know how Lucius has power over how things are run in the court (it was mentioned in one of the HP books, dunno which), the custody trial is going first, before Lucius, Narcissa, Alexandra, and Lestrange (and all the death eaters, for that matter!) are being convicted either guilty or innocent. So, that explains why they are allowed to try out for her custody without being shipped off to Azkaban for showing their faces. If you think about it for a while, it kind of almost makes sense. Really.

**Chapter 3 – The Verdict**

"Come on, Harry," Lupin said, tugging at Harry's arm, which was wrapped around Silver.

Harry slowly loosened his hold on her in order to look her in the face. She looked up at him and gave him a weak smile that caused his heart to begin thumping at an extremely fast rate.

"They won't get you," he told her quietly.

She simply nodded. "See you later," she whispered.

They kissed softly, and then parted. Snape was already sitting in his previous seat, waiting for Silver. Harry sat down and watched as she made her way towards him, and had nearly made it when Lucius appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Silver jumped backwards, her eyes wide. Lucius gave her a sneer as he looked down at her.

"What's the matter, flower?" he asked.

His voice was quiet, but the entire court had become silent at the sound of his voice, and everyone could make out his words. A sound very much like a growl suddenly came from Snape, who was now standing behind Lucius. Lucius spun around, drawing out his wand and pointing it at Snape, who smirked.

"Now, Lucius, why would I have reason to hex you?" Snape asked, his voice mockingly questioning.

Silver ran to him, and as he put his arms around her, his expression changed from that of an inquiry to something much more menacing.

"Couldn't be because you're a filthy, disgusting bastard, now could it?" he hissed.

"Evidence, Severus?" Lucius replied cordially.

"You're a bad liar," Snape answered.

For a moment, Lucius looked taken aback. Then, he gave a sneer not unlike the one Draco used so often.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" he asked, "Traitor."

"Get out of my sight," Snape replied.

Surprisingly, Lucius obliged. Snape watched him all the way back to his seat before turning his attention to Silver. He gave a tug on her hair that caused her to look up.

"Let's sit," he said simply.

She nodded and followed him back to their seats. By then, everyone else had sat down, and watched as the unlikely pair made their way back to their seats. Hushed whispers broke out among everyone. Fudge had been watching, as well, and seemed to know not what to make of the entire situation.

"Erm," he began unprofessionally, "Next, we have Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy will be taking the chair."

Lucius got up and strolled to the front rather confidently. He sat in the chair and fixed Silver with a smirk that caused her to turn her face away. Even from a distance, Harry could see the tears reflecting in her eyes. He felt himself tense up, and his hand began to travel to his pocket for his wand, ready to jump up and hit Lucius with every curse he had ever heard of. At the moment, Crucio was at the top of his list. Lupin grabbed his arm and yanked it back, giving him a firm glare. Grudgingly, Harry stopped attempting to reach his wand.

"Mr. Malfoy, you have been charged with verbal, physical, and magical abuse of the child. How do you plead?"

Before Lucius could answer, Snape spoke up. "You seem to have forgotten something, Cornelius."

Fudge looked up to meet Snape's eyes, the look on his face unreadable. "And what might that be, Severus?" he inquired.

"He's been charged with sexual abuse as well," Snape replied, his eyes blazing in Lucius' direction.

Whispers ran through the courtroom as Fudge made a great deal of looking through the pile of papers on his desk. "We do not have any record of s..." he began, but Snape cut him off.

"Well then we'd like to file it now. Right now," he retorted.

"Under present circumstances..." Fudge began, but again, he was cut off.

"Now, now, Mr. Fudge," Dumbledore said from a row back, "Do you really think a trial of custody can be run without such a heavy charge being filed? It would be much more convenient for you to add it in now than to have to face another trial in the future, don't you agree?"

"I..." Fudge began.

"Will file it," Snape finished, "Right now."

There was a definite no-nonsense tone to his voice, and Fudge only looked at him for a moment before clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Erm, right," he agreed reluctantly, sorting through his papers yet again before picking up a pencil and making a note on one.

"Mr. Malfoy, you have been charged with verbal, physical, magical, and sexual abuse to the child. How do you plead?"

"Innocent," Lucius snarled.

"And why would you..." Fudge began.

"Because she's the daughter I've always wanted," Lucius interrupted boredly, "My wife and I have always wanted a girl, and we're good friends of Alexandra's. She knows we'd take _special_ care of her."

The last four words were directed at Silver, who was still determinedly looking away. Snape made a threatening noise in the back of his throat, glaring at Lucius for all he was worth. Fudge looked half amused.

"Very well then," he said hurriedly, "You may return to your seat."

"He may not!" Snape interrupted, "He hasn't gotten to be questioned yet."

Looking highly annoyed, Fudge turned to Umbridge and Amelia. "Questions, ladies?" he inquired.

Umbridge shook her head and turned a death glare to Amelia, who meekly shook her head as well. Snape shook his head slightly, but made no comment. Instead, he turned to Silver, speaking quietly.

"Severus?" Fudge asked as Lucius sat down.

"Just a minute," Snape snapped, glaring at him before returning to Silver.

Fudge obediently kept quiet, watching the scene with as much interest as the others in the room. Snape was speaking to Silver quietly, and she was nodding tearfully. He made as if to get up, but she suddenly threw her arms around his neck, looking as if she were going to squeeze his head off his shoulders. He patted her back for a moment, and she released him looking close to tears. Snape got up and stalked to the front of the room, coming to rest in the same chair as the others.

"Severus Snape," Fudge recited in a businesslike tone, "You have no charges against you..."

"I'd better not," Snape growled.

Looking slightly amused, Fudge continued. "Why would you like custody of the child?"

"Well, there are no suitable guardians for her from..." Snape began, but Fudge interrupted.

"No, no, Severus, we understand your opinion on that matter. What I...we...would like to know is why you _want_ custody of her."

Snape blinked for a few times, looking a mixture between confused and annoyed. Harry glanced around the room to see that everyone was looking at Snape curiously. From beside Harry, Lupin shifted anxiously.

"Severus?" Fudge prompted.

"Well, I..." Snape began, but he cut himself off abruptly.

Silver put her head in her hands in a defeated manner, and Snape looked at her curiously.

"Well, what's the usual reason someone wants custody of a child?" he replied finally, looking at Fudge as if he were crazy.

"We're asking you why you, in particular, would like custody, Severus," Fudge replied patiently.

Snape looked miffed, and Lupin gave a barely audible sigh from beside Harry. Harry realized why almost immediately. Getting Snape to confess that he had any sort of feelings for Silver in front of all those people was going to take a miracle.

"Cat got your tongue, Snape?" Alexandra inquired from her seat.

"Shove off," Snape growled.

"Now, Miss Meliflua..." he paused as both Silver and Alexandra looked at him. "Erm, Alexandra," he corrected, "Now's not the-"

"I think we all know why he wants her!" Lestrange yelled suddenly, "He's a dirty old bachelor that wants some pretty girl walking around in his house all summer, and-"

"No he's not!" Silver cried passionately, surprising everybody.

Alexandra jumped out of her chair, towering over Silver. "Prove it," she hissed.

Silver burst into tears in reply, burying her face in her hands. Alexandra sat down one chair away from her, looking satisfied. Snape made as if to get up, but Fudge stopped him.

"Stay seated, Severus," he commanded.

Snape looked about to argue, but he stopped as Silver began to speak through her tears, looking up at Fudge pleadingly.

"Please...he would never...he wouldn't...it's hard for him...but he does...me...told me...please..." she wailed.

"Miss Meliflua, I'm sorry, but we can't understand you," Fudge said, looking at her with a mixture of pity and curiosity.

Silver sniffled up her tears with difficulty. "I said he would never do that!" she exclaimed, glaring at Fudge.

"We never said he would," Fudge replied gently, "Now, if everyone would please be quiet, we're waiting for Severus' answer."

Immediately the court grew silent enough to hear a pin drop, all eyes focused on Snape. He glared at everyone for a moment before he spoke.

"Icareabouther," he grumbled finally.

"Couldn't catch that," Fudge said, a bit too cheerfully.

"I...care...about...her," Snape repeated through gritted teeth, crossing his arms and giving Fudge a death look.

Fudge looked on the verge of laughter. "Ah...right. Questions, ladies?"

"Yes, please!" Umbridge sang out immediately.

Harry inwardly groaned. Snape turned to glare at Umbridge.

"What are your views on parenting, Severus?" she asked him with mock sweetness.

Snape didn't bat an eye. "Gentle firmness, along with intellectual guidance," he replied immediately.

Umbridge didn't let so much as a second pass before firing more questions, and Snape was equally ready to give answers. They had both done their homework, it seemed. Harry zoned out for a moment as he looked at Silver, who was gripping the edge of the seat tightly as she watched the exchange between Umbridge and Snape. He managed to bring himself back to attention after a few moments.

"And what about the fact that you are a man, trying for custody of a young woman?"

"She's able to take care of her...womanly issues...herself, the young woman that she is. I'm able to take care of her as well as the next."

"Are you financially able to take care of her?"

"I'm financially able to take care of twenty of her."

Umbridge quirked a brow at this, and Harry realized that she had run out of questions.

"You have no parental experience," she snarled.

"Prove it," Snape retorted boredly.

For a moment, Umbridge looked taken aback. She sat back in her seat, surveying Snape bitterly. Slowly, a sneer spread over her face.

"And what about your father?" she asked.

If possible, the silence that was already penetrating the court became more hushed.

"My father has nothing to do with this," Snape growled.

"Oh, but he has everything to do with it, Severus," Umbridge replied in her sweetest voice, which somehow seemed to be dripping with venom, "His condition, Severus – how are we to know that it isn't hereditary?"

"I've never laid a finger on her and I never will," Snape replied.

"Prove it," Umbridge challenged, mimicking Snape with surprising accuracy.

Snape was shaking with anger, at that point. "I'm no more likely to strike at her than you are," he hissed, "Or is that a bad example?"

Umbridge's lips curled into a sneer. "Don't push me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Snape was about to reply, when Umbridge suddenly spoke in a loud, rather cheery voice. "Your father, Severus," she said loudly.

Snape gave a barely visible cringe, but it was there all the same. Harry heard a sniffle, and looked to see that Silver was shaking with silent tears.

"No further questions," Umbridge announced sweetly.

"I have no questions," Amelia said quietly, looking from Snape to Silver with pity.

"Very well, then," Fudge said, "Please return to your seat, Severus."

Snape's eyes were filled with resentment as he stalked back to his seat, looking as if he were ready to strike at anybody that was dumb enough to get within range. As he sat, Silver put her arms around him, as if to comfort him. He patted her head a couple of times before she saw fit to pull away, and the two exchanged a long look.

"The next to be called up is Miss Silver Meliflua," Fudge announced.

Silver looked at Fudge briefly before looking at Snape, who nodded at her. Tremblingly, she got up and walked to the chair, perching gingerly on the edge of it. Harry felt an overwhelming desire to run up to the front of the room and comfort her, let her know that it was okay, but he couldn't. Her eyes roamed over the sea of faces until they locked onto his. He silently tried to convey comforting thoughts to her, and she gave him a flicker of a smile before turning away.

"Miss Meliflua," Fudge said, "Firstly, do you have any preferences as to who gains custody over you?"

"Severus," Silver replied immediately.

Fudge fixed Silver with a questioning look. "And why not your mother, or the others?" he asked.

"They hurt me," she replied simply.

"How?" Fudge replied, leaning towards her slightly.

Silver paused for a moment, and finally replied in a very quiet voice. "Any way they could," she answered.

Fudge leaned back and was silent for a moment before he spoke, giving Snape a rather nervous glance. "We'll need proof of the abuse," he said casually.

From beside Harry, Lupin shot forwards in his seat, as did the other adults and the Weasley children. Dumbledore rose from his seat and Snape vaulted upwards.

"YOU WILL NOT!" he roared at the top of his lungs.

Fudge winced visibly at Snape's harsh tone. "Now, Severus..." he began, but he was cut off.

"Her word is enough bloody evidence! You will not – you can't – you..." Snape sputtered angrily, not seeming to find words for what Fudge couldn't do.

"I must agree," Dumbledore commented calmly from behind Snape.

"In order for the accused to be convicted, there must be evidence," Fudge replied stubbornly.

"You have her word," Snape hissed, looking thoroughly scandalized that Silver's word was not evidence enough for Fudge.

"I really don't see what the problem is with..." Fudge began, speaking very fast in an unsuccessful attempt not to get cut off by Snape.

"I will not have it, that's the problem!" Snape thundered, "I will not have her be humiliated...degraded...I will not have it!"

His voice echoed through the courtroom, leaving Fudge looking slightly stunned, as well as a few others.

"What are they going to do?" Harry whispered urgently to Lupin.

"A form of Occlumency where her memories will be displayed on the wall for the court to see," Lupin replied quietly.

Immediately Harry remembered the dream he had had a year ago of Voldemort using that same method of Occlumency to torture Snape. It had caused Snape to cry out and become vulnerable in a way Harry had never seen him do other than that time. If it had broken Snape so badly in front of an audience of one, he didn't want to see what it could do to Silver in a court of so many.

"They can't," he whispered fiercely.

"He won't let them," Tonks replied quietly, "He's going to kill them for suggesting it as it is."

Fudge cleared his throat several times before speaking. "I don't see how it would be humiliating..." he began.

"Well you've never had it happen, have you?" Snape replied, his voice echoing through the room once more, "You've never had to show yourself being beaten upon, degraded, and defiled in front of an entire court, have you? _I_ have, which I'm sure you remember very well. I will not allow her to suffer through it. I simply won't."

"If there's no evidence, there's no..." Fudge began.

"Don't say it," Snape snarled, "Don't you dare say it."

Fudge stopped speaking immediately, looking a bit scared. "Severus, surely you understand that without evidence, there can be no..."

"No!" Snape roared, "I do not understand! I think you're all a bunch of..." he cut off abruptly, but his glare was enough to give everyone a vague impression of what, exactly, he thought they were.

"Very well," Fudge sighed, "The trial will be conducted with no evidence. The lack of evidence may affect the outcome, however..."

"Oh, rubbish," Snape snapped, "Why would they be charged without a reason? If you had run the bloody custody trial last, you wouldn't be facing this problem right now, because..."

"We already have your opinion on the order of the trials, Severus!" Fudge exclaimed, obviously agitated.

Snape glowered at him in reply.

"Now," Fudge said, clearing his throat and turning to the members of the Wizengamot, "The verdict shall be decided – without evidence."

"Rubbish!" Snape hissed, "Absolute rubbish! You have evidence enough to..."

"_Severus_!" Fudge exclaimed, looking as if he were one step away from banning Snape from ever coming to another trial.

"Yes?" Snape answered evenly.

Fudge merely shook his head, putting a hand to his forehead as the members of the Wizengamot exchanged whispers and began to jot down words.

Harry couldn't remember ever having such mixed emotions. Part of him wanted to punch Fudge, Lestrange, Alexandra, and Lucius, part of him was worried sick for Silver, and the other part was much too confusing to figure out. He could tell by looking at Silver that she was anxious, and Snape looked grim. Dumbledore looked as if he were watching a pleasant soap opera – something that annoyed Harry a bit.

Finally, a piece of paper was handed to Fudge, who looked just as anxious as everyone else to see what was written on it. Giving Lucius a reassuring type of smile, he cleared his throat.

"Here we have the results," he announced, beginning to unfold the paper, "Custody of the child Silver Meliflua will be awarded to..."

In what appeared to be agonizingly slow motion, his eyes traveled confidently down to the paper. Shortly following, he began to choke, seemingly on nothing.

"I...I think there's been a mistake," he managed, shooting furtive looks in Lucius' direction, "Yes, let me just..."

"I think we all know that the verdict is final," Dumbledore said, his quiet voice demanding utter respect, "Please, Cornelius, allow us the pleasure of the results. And I really do insist that you make a truthful job of it."

There was a definite threat underlying Dumbledore's seemingly cheerful words, and only a few seemed to sense it. _Just read it already_, Harry thought furiously, watching as Fudge looked from Lucius, to Dumbledore, back to the paper in his hand.

"Custody...custody will be awarded to...for Silver Meliflua...custody will be..." Fudge stammered, looking from Lucius to Dumbledore with evident confusion.

"If you need help reading, give it here!" Harry yelled furiously, his voice echoing through the courtroom as he jumped out of his seat, eyes blazing with irritation.

Fudge, and everyone else in the court, looked at him with a mixture of astonishment, amusement, and chiding. Fudge finally turned his head back to the paper, and read in a deliberately quiet voice.

"Severus Snape."

"_What_?"

It was the combined voices of Lucius, Snape, and Alexandra. Lestrange simply looked shocked.

"Erm...Severus," Fudge repeated uncomfortably, holding the paper in Lucius' direction, "See, it says here..."

"I can see very well what it says, you fool!" Lucius roared, "Did I not tell you to-"

"Hush now, or you'll be off to Azkaban without a proper trial," Snape said suddenly, and somewhat cheerfully (for Snape, at least), "And I was so looking forward to testifying against you."

Harry's gaze traveled immediately to Silver, who looked somewhere between shock and euphoria. He then looked to her mother, whose mood was not in the least bit difficult to figure out. She was shaking with anger, pointing at Silver as if that would prove that the wrong decision had been made.

"She's _my _daughter!" she cried, looking utterly scandalized.

Snape turned to her, sneering smugly. "She's no longer your responsibility," he informed her.

"_I_ gave birth to her!" Alexandra replied, as if she hadn't heard him.

"I do hope it was painful," Snape said in a thoughtful tone of voice.

From beside Harry, a snort of laughter escaped Ron, and several others in the courtroom. Fudge looked on the verge of laughter.

"Now, now," he said, "Let's just..."

"Give me my daughter!" Alexandra exclaimed, turning to Fudge with a vengeance.

"There were three of us!" Lucius added, "_Three_! And you picked _him_!"

Snape wore a kind of satisfied smirk as he watched the proceeds.

"Yes, well, it was the jury's decision..." Fudge began.

"It's the most utterly-"Alexandra began.

"Brilliant," Snape supplied.

"Brilliant thing I-"she began, but then she stopped and glared at Snape. "_Ridiculous_ thing I've ever heard!" she corrected herself.

Snape smirked triumphantly, looking very pleased with himself. Fudge, on the other hand, looked terrified of Lucius, who was advancing on him.

"The court will...the court will take a fifteen minute break before continuing with...trials..." he stammered, backing uncertainly away from his desk.

Harry vaulted out into the aisle, jumping over quite a few people to do so. He battled his way against traffic until he came to where Silver and Snape were standing, looking quite comical together. Silver had her hands clasped together and was bouncing up and down in excitement, smiling for all she was worth, whereas Snape was wearing a smug sort of smirk that grew as Silver spoke to him, although his eyes were staring over her head, occasionally flicking down to her. As Harry drew closer, he could make out her words.

"See, now you won't have to steal me, and my mom can't take me, and you...why are you smirking like that?"

"I'm not smirking," Snape lied.

"Are too!" Silver crowed in a triumphant voice, "You're happy, aren't you? You are!"

Snape looked down at her amusedly before directing his stare upwards once more. "Prove it," he challenged.

She gave a sort of squeal before throwing herself at him and squeezing him so hard that he actually tried to push her away.

"Good heavens, child," he choked, "You'll kill me!"

Immediately Silver let go of him, springing backwards and continuing her happy bounces. Snape's eyes traveled over her head and landed on Harry, and he immediately took the chance to smirk at him in the same way he had been doing before, leaving Harry not quite sure if it was an insult or not. Silver followed Snape's gaze to Harry, and she gave a squeal of delight as she saw him.

"Harry, did you see?" she bubbled excitedly, "Did you hear? Did you?"

"Don't see how I couldn't have," he replied amusedly.

She threw her arms around his neck, enfolding him in a hug not much different than the one she gave Snape, as far as tightness was concerned.

"Silver," Harry gagged, "Let...go."

Blushing, she pulled away, leaving her hands linked around his neck. She looked as if she were glowing with happiness, something that made Harry's insides flip flop from delight at the smile on her face. He pulled her into a hug, and she willingly tightened her arms around him once more, this time leaving room for him to breathe. Over her shoulder, Harry watched as Lupin clapped Snape on the back in a congratulatory way, earning himself a glare and a stiff step away. Dumbledore, on the other hand, proved to know how to handle matters with Snape in a much more efficient way.

"Well done, Severus," he said simply as he walked up.

Snape's smirk reappeared instantly.

"Harry," Silver whispered urgently into his ear, "This means I'll be able to stay at Grimmauld Place all summer, and go back to Hogwarts."

Harry's brain did a slight double-take at her words. He had never considered that if anyone other than Snape had gotten custody of her, she wouldn't be able to return to Hogwarts.

"Oh," he said.

She giggled at his response, and continued after a moment. "So, ask Dumbledore if you can come home today," she added, "I've been missing you awfully, you know."

"I kn-"Harry began, but he cut off as he felt her nip playfully at his ear.

She gave another giggle. "Cat got your tongue?" she asked playfully.

No, but he sure wished she did, at the moment. He was about to say something to that effect when they were...rudely...interrupted.

"Silver!" Hermione squealed suddenly from behind them, making Harry jump about a foot in the air.

"Hermione!" Silver replied delightedly, breaking away from Harry as the two squealing girls developed each other in a hug.

"Oh, I was so worried," Hermione began, "I can't believe they wanted evidence, and-"

Her words were drowned out as Fred, George, Ginny, and Ron arrived. Fred and George took the opportunity to swing Silver around and tickle her as they set her down, and Ginny enfolded her in a hug. Ron reached out to pat her on the back, but by that time there was so much hugging going on that she enfolded him in a hug immediately. Looking slightly surprised, Ron continued with his initial plan of patting her on the back until she released him. Grinning to himself, Harry stepped forwards, earning himself the privilege of linking hands with her as everyone eagerly chatted about the trial. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn't have her all to himself, but he was certain that after he talked to Dumbledore, he would. After all, Dumbledore couldn't very well send him back home after he'd had a chance to be reunited with everyone – could he?

**Note: **Alright, let me try to speak without sounding _too _annoyed.

Firstly, the first two weeks of school have been VERY hectic for me, as you guys can see by the fact that I haven't updated in a while. I do NOT plan on updating so infrequently in the future at all, and I'm very sorry for the long wait this time. It's been a mixture of school problems, family problems, and friend troubles. However, things are a bit smoothed over in all areas now, so I should have more time to work on the story.

_Speaking of which_, I would like to thank everyone that's been patient so far. Patience is a virtue, you know. For those patient few of you, I would like to thank you for understanding that my life is not writing a fanfiction, although it is something I enjoy to do in my spare time. I would also like to thank you for not royally pissing me off, like some others. Whom I will choose not to mention, because it would make me too angry. XD

Anyways, I love you all, now I'm going to get started on the next chapter.


	4. Too Much Talk

**Disclaimer: **Whoops, forgot to add one of these for the last chapter. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling, basically...

**Chapter 4 – Too Much Talk**

Harry squirmed in his seat, every inch of him fighting not to jump up off of the bench and run to Silver. The trials were long and monotonous, each convicting Death Eaters. Again and again he had watched battle scenes play on the wall, until he thought that "Crucio" was about the only spell the Death Eaters knew. Long since was the opportunity for him, Ron, Hermione, or Silver to be called up to witness, and long since had Lucius, his wife, Lestrange, and Alexandra been sentenced to sentences in Azkaban and been dragged from the room. Now, all that was on his mind was that he and Silver could find a much better use of the time.

"Relax, Harry," Lupin whispered from beside him, "It's almost over."

Harry nodded, watching as the members of the Wizengamot jotted down notes and exchanged hushed whispers over the verdict.

"Why can't they just accept that every bloody person that goes up there is guilty?" he muttered irritably, "They act like it's so tough to decide. Just send 'em all to Azkaban!"

Ron sniggered, and Hermione gave Harry an amused look. Lupin chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly as he did so. Finally, after what seemed to be ages, but was really only seconds, Fudge gave his signature throat-clearing that meant that he was about to announce the verdict.

"Guilty," he announced simply, his voice a bit croaky from so much speaking.

The accused was dragged out of the courtroom, and Fudge waited (unnecessarily, in Harry's opinion) until he was safely out the door to dismiss the court. Once he did, Harry jumped up with the force of a small rocket and vaulted down the aisle. Silver turned in time to see him, beaming at him. He neared her and she threw her arms around his neck, giggling at the same time. Yes, she was definitely in a good mood.

"Did you ask Dumbledore?" she murmured suddenly, "Because he's leaving now."

Harry turned around, his arms still around her, to see that Dumbledore was, indeed headed for the door.

"Be right back," he muttered, breaking away from her and sprinting down the aisle once more towards Dumbledore.

"Dumble...dore!" he yelled as Dumbledore nearly exited.

Dumbledore turned, a look of amusement on his face as Harry nearly ran into him.

"Hello, Harry," he greeted pleasantly.

Harry seriously considered mocking his cheerfulness, but decided against it.

"Well, um, I was wondering if I had to go back to the Dursleys," he explained, "Because there's really no reason to. I hate it there, and I'll be turning seventeen in a few days anyway, and..."

Dumbledore held up a hand that signaled for Harry to stop.

"Firstly," he said slowly, "You will be returning to your aunt and uncle's today. Secondly, I would appreciate if you stayed there until I deem it safe for you to return to Grimmauld Place, or, as Molly was saying, The Burrow."

Harry's heart first plummeted, and then began to beat furiously as his temper rose. Dumbledore was going to keep him at the Dursleys' _past_ his birthday? He didn't care if Dumbledore would 'appreciate' it or not, but he certainly didn't want to stay there any longer than he had to.

"Why?" he finally managed.

"It's for your safety, Harry," Dumbledore replied cryptically.

"Well I-"Harry began hotly, but he was cut off.

"Wanted to at least have a talk with me and Arthur before he left," Lupin intervened, having arrived at some moment that Harry was not aware of.

Harry nodded emphatically as Dumbledore looked at him questioningly. "It's important," he supplied, "Really important."

Dumbledore looked from Harry to Lupin, and back again, before replying.

"Very well," he said slowly, "You three may return to Grimmauld Place to talk for up to an hour. But then, I want Harry home."

"What about Silver?" Harry asked, "Can't I say goodbye to her before I go?"

"You may say goodbye to her right now," Dumbledore replied calmly.

Harry frowned. He didn't want to say goodbye to her now, he wanted to say goodbye to her...well, never, come to think of it. But, he supposed talking to Lupin and Mr. Weasley was important enough to warrant for it. Maybe. Giving Dumbledore a glare and a sullen parting, he turned and walked back to Silver, who was looking at him apprehensively.

"What did he say?" she asked, the anticipating look in her eyes almost too much for Harry to bear.

"I have to go home," he mumbled, hardly daring to look up at her.

Her face fell completely; she was obviously crushed at the news. For a moment, Harry thought she was going to cry.

"Well, your birthday is only in a few days," she said hesitantly.

"He said I had to stay past my birthday," Harry said, now staring at the floor.

"What?" Silver exclaimed, her voice echoed by Snape's.

Harry glanced up to see that Snape was watching the exchange between the two. He nodded, feeling that a longer answer wasn't needed in Snape's case. To his surprise, Snape's eyes hardened and he looked...angry? Mouth set in a firm line, Snape stalked off in Lupin's direction, muttering something about 'foolish overprotection'. Harry's mouth dropped open slightly.

"He _wants_ me to stay?" he asked in disbelief.

He glanced at Silver to find that she was smiling. "He just wants me to be happy," she said simply, echoing the words Harry had heard earlier that morning.

Harry nodded, still halfway sure that Snape should have been jumping up and down at the fact that he had to return to the Dursleys. After all, Snape had always enjoyed causing him personal pain.

"So, when do you have to leave?" Silver asked, anxiety lacing her words.

He turned to her reluctantly, not wanting to explain that he was going back to Grimmauld Place for an hour.

"Uh, now," he said slowly.

"Oh, Harry," she sighed, throwing her arms around him and holding him tightly.

He felt slightly guilty, but also more anxious than ever to talk to Lupin and Mr. Weasley. He found himself wondering how he could possibly have a chance with Silver anyway, and voiced his main concern hesitantly.

"Silver," he said quietly, "You do...love me...don't you?"

She pulled away and looked up at him in surprise. For a moment, she was simply shocked, but then a small smile crossed over her face. She reached up and fiddled with his hair lovingly.

"I thought we covered that a long time ago," she said, her eyes searching his questioningly.

"Just making sure," he answered solemnly.

She gave him a smile that made him feel dizzy.

"You're so sweet, Harry," she told him, "I really do love you."

He recognized immediately the spark in her eyes – the one that told him that she was longing to hear him say it back, and that she was fearful that he wouldn't.

"I love you, too," he told her.

She buried her face into his chest, holding him tightly and giving off waves of relief. Harry didn't see how he could be the one that sounded uncertain, and she could be the one that ended up being relieved.

"Bye, Harry," she whispered mournfully.

"Bye, beautiful," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

She gave a small sniffle as she drew back, looking as if she were trying very hard not to cry. He grinned and gave a tug on her hair, successfully earning himself a weak smile in return. Knowing that if he didn't leave then, he never would, he turned to leave, passing Snape on the way. Snape was giving him a very suspicious look, and Harry assumed that Snape had found out that Harry was going to have a talk with Lupin and Mr. Weasley. But there was no way Snape could possibly know what that was about – hopefully. Giving a wary glance back at Snape, Harry hurried over to where a very curious Lupin and Mr. Weasley were waiting.

"Hello, Harry," Mr. Weasley greeted in a hopeful tone of voice, as if he expected Harry to blurt out his problem right then and there.

"Hello," Harry replied cautiously, looking at Lupin pointedly.

Lupin took the hint well. "Well, let's get going, then," he said, "Shall we use the portkey, Arthur?"

"Erm, yes," Mr. Weasley agreed, "Let's just go out here..."

He trailed off as he walked outside and further down the corridor, fumbling in his pocket a moment before withdrawing a handkerchief-wrapped object. He allowed the handkerchief to fall away, revealing a miniature brass cauldron.

"On three, now," he instructed, holding it out towards Harry and Lupin.

"One...two...three!"

The three of them each touched a solitary finger to the miniature cauldron, and the next moment Harry felt a tugging at his navel that meant he was most certainly going to land off balance.

"Oomph!" he muttered as his bottom came into contact with a hardwood floor, revealing him to be in the entry hall of Grimmauld Place.

Mr. Weasley and Lupin smiled amusedly down at him, both of them managing to have kept their balance. Harry managed to get up, and wordlessly followed them to the living room. Once inside, Lupin took up residence of a large armchair, while Mr. Weasley chose a small loveseat. Harry sat down on the couch across from Mr. Weasley, looking back and forth from both men nervously. How, exactly, was he supposed to voice his question.

"So, ah, you had a question?" Mr. Weasley asked, sounding excited.

"Well, yeah," Harry said slowly, "It's mostly for you, I guess. Well actually it's for Moony too, but I don't know if he knows. Cause we've never really talked about it. But you would know..."

He trailed off uncertainly, feeling as if he wasn't going to be able to voice his question. Lupin and Mr. Weasley exchanged confused glances.

"Well, what is it, Harry?" Lupin asked gently.

"Yes, we'll do our best to help," Mr. Weasley agreed.

"Well," Harry said, looking up at Mr. Weasley, "You and Mrs. Weasley...you're married. And you have a lot of kids."

He felt a blush creeping to his cheeks at his own words. That was certainly not what he had intended to say. Now both Lupin and Mr. Weasley looked vaguely uncomfortable.

"Not that that has anything to do with it," he continued quickly, "It's just that I wanted to know, well...how you ask a girl to marry you?"

Mr. Weasley made an odd choking noise, and Lupin nearly fell of his chair. Harry winced slightly.

"You...ah...you want to marry?" Mr. Weasley managed.

"Well...yeah," Harry said uncomfortably, "Silver, of course."

"This...this doesn't have anything to do with that kids comment, does it?" Lupin asked concernedly.

Harry blushed. "No," he said quickly.

"There's not even a chance of it?" Mr. Weasley prodded.

"No," Harry repeated uncomfortably.

Immediately both men looked immensely relieved. "Good," Lupin breathed, "I wasn't looking forward to Snape's reaction on that one."

Harry blushed even more. He hadn't come to talk about what he and Silver had or hadn't done together, he had come to talk about marriage.

"So?" he asked, looking pointedly at Mr. Weasley.

"Well, erm," Mr. Weasley said, straightening and taking on a professional air, "Marriage is...a long term commitment, Harry."

_Duh_, Harry thought back. He decided not to voice his opinion in exactly that manner though, and replied instead, "Yeah, it's forever. I know that."

Mr. Weasley nodded, looking at Harry speculatively, and then glanced at Lupin with a pointed look. Lupin gave a slight nod before turning to Harry.

"Harry, you do realize that you're...you're a bit young," he ventured.

Harry gave a derisive snort. "I'm not planning on asking her tomorrow," he said, "I just wanted to know how. I mean, it can't be as easy as just asking, can it?"

Lupin and Mr. Weasley exchanged another significant glance.

"Unfortunately, no, Harry," Mr. Weasley said tentatively, "You see, when a young man asks a young woman to marry him, there are certain things he must do first...such as gather blessings..."

"Oh," Harry said dumbly, "Well, uh, Moony, do I have your blessing?"

Lupin made an odd coughing noise, looking somewhere between amusement and disappointment. "Well, of course you do, Harry, but that's not what Arthur meant...you see, you'll have to...well, it being Silver and all...you're going to have to talk to Snape, Harry."

This time it was Harry that choked. "_Snape_?" he repeated, sounding a bit hysterical, "_Snape_? He'll never...he'll kill me for asking...he'll..."

"Erm, yes," Lupin agreed unhelpfully, "But Harry, you do realize...I mean, the implications of marriage...are...serious."

"Yeah, I figured by the whole 'til death do us part' thing," Harry replied wryly.

Lupin exchanged glances with Mr. Weasley, who gave a small shrug before turning to Harry.

"Have you and Silver ever talked about it?" he asked.

Again, Harry felt as if the conversation were focusing unduly on what he and Silver had...or in all of these situations, hadn't...done. "Well, no," he said uncertainly, "But...she said she couldn't live without me."

Both Lupin and Mr. Weasley looked surprised at this information.

"Well," Mr. Weasley said, "That's...that's a lot, for Silver, Harry. You do realize that, don't you?"

Harry nodded, but didn't get a chance to reply before Lupin continued.

"And Harry," he said, "You do know that certain...emotional...things for Silver are different, don't you? Expressing love is easy for her, but receiving it is something completely different. If you're thinking of marriage, you can't just drop the bomb on her like that. She's going to need some idea of what you're thinking in advance..."

"How do I do that without asking her?" Harry interrupted.

"Oh, that part's easy," Mr. Weasley volunteered cheerfully, "You just...well, butter her up. Get her in a romantic mood and start talking about being together in the future, and trust me, that'll set her off. She'll start choosing you a house, decorations, names for the kids...which, I hope, Harry, that there isn't going to be any for a long time yet."

At this, Mr. Weasley fixed him with a stern gaze that Harry cringed under.

"Uh, no, there's not," he said uncomfortably, "There...well, there can't be...not mine, anyway..."

Lupin gave a snort of laughter from his chair which Harry felt was completely unnecessary. He turned to Lupin, who was trying to look too amused, and glared.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Lupin said innocently, "But you know, during one of those romantic moods, it wouldn't hurt to see if..."

"Remus," Mr. Weasley cut in, "Severus will have our heads!"

Looking slightly disappointed, Lupin trailed off, giving Harry a mischievous glance as he did so.

"Actually, Harry," he said thoughtfully, "It wouldn't hurt if you talked to Snape about it now..."

"_What_?" Harry and Mr. Weasley chorused.

"At least a bit," Lupin continued, as if he hadn't heard them, "Because it would help if Snape was nudging Silver towards you as well..."

"Nudging her towards me?" Harry echoed, "More like keeping her as far away as he can possibly get her."

"Better now than the day before you're ready to pop the question," Lupin answered, "And he's actually been very reasonable about you, lately. He obviously trusts you if he's willing to raise hell with Dumbledore every morning to try and get you home."

"Every morning?" Harry repeated dubiously.

"Without failure since last week," Lupin confirmed, "When Silver really started to get upset that Dumbledore wasn't changing his mind."

Harry grinned at the thought of Silver getting upset over not being with him. _Things on my "To Do" List, _he thought to himself, _Prepare Silver for marriage. Talk to Snape about Silver and I marrying. Oh yeah, and defeat Voldemort. Simple_. He gave a wry smile and sank back onto the couch, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"I don't know what's worse, having to defeat Voldemort, or talking to Snape," he groaned.

Lupin and Mr. Weasley burst into laughter.

"Personally, I'd be more worried about Snape," Lupin volunteered, not doing anything to raise Harry's spirits.

Harry frowned at him as the two men continued to laugh. Finally, under Harry's stern gaze, they managed to regain themselves. Lupin glanced at the clock and frowned.

"Looks like you have to go, Harry," he said reluctantly.

Harry's heart sank. "Oh," he said simply, "Alright."

Mr. Weasley and Lupin looked at him pityingly. "I'll help Snape yell at Dumbledore tomorrow," Lupin promised, getting up from the couch.

Harry grinned at the thought. "Sounds good," he agreed, rising as well.

He looked around for a moment before asking, "Uh, how am I getting home?"

"Knight Bus," Lupin replied, as he and Mr. Weasley began to walk out of the room.

Harry followed feeling oddly satisfied, although he was returning to the Dursleys. At least now he had something to think about – and he was going to use his remaining days there to think up a plan – or rather, a few plans. He waved his wand lazily about in front of him as he said goodbye to Lupin and Mr. Weasley.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly to them.

"Anytime, Harry," Mr. Weasley replied genuinely.

Harry hoped he wouldn't be having to have such a personal talk again anytime soon, but didn't comment. The Knight Bus pulled up, and he allowed Mr. Weasley to pat him on the back and Lupin to hug him with what Harry felt was a fatherly pride before boarding the bus, where the familiar face of Stan awaited him. Barely acknowledging the man except to shove money into his hand, Harry took a seat by the window and braced himself with both his legs and his arms as the bus took off. He had a lot to think about, all right.

**Note: **There, see, don't you all love me for posting another chapter so fast? I don't know why I found this one so easy to write, but there you have it.

I feel very accomplished...I'm going to go get myself some ice cream.


	5. Birthday Surprises

**Disclaimer: **I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowling's stuff. I am also not responsible for any typos that may occur. Oh wait, whoops, I am. But that sounded really good, didn't it?

**Chapter 5 – Birthday Surprises**

Harry slammed his History of Magic summer homework onto the floor with finality, and proceeded to also knock off both his Transfiguration and Potions essay onto the floor before he felt that he had successfully made a statement. From her perch, Hedwig eyed him suspiciously.

"What?" he snapped at her, "If it was your birthday, you'd be mad too!"

She gave him a sympathetic hoot as he continued to mutter under his breath, gathering up his homework as he did so.

"...Dumbledore couldn't even let me have a proper birthday...seventeen...should be able to apparate...but no, not me, my life can't be that easy...haven't even gotten a present from Silver yet..."

He knew that his last statement was a bit ridiculous, seeing as he had just woken up, but all the same, he had been expecting to wake up and find her present waiting for him, but instead Hedwig had brought Ron and Hermione's. He was more than a bit disappointed.

"Hedwig, I'm going to hex the Dursleys," he announced.

She gave a few hoots which he took to mean as approval. And really, he did need somewhere to take out his anger – what better than the people who had locked him in a cupboard for eleven years of his life? He headed for the door, fully intending to carry out his threat, when Hedwig gave a screech most unlike her. He turned around, prepared to scold her, when he saw a familiar black owl hovering outside his window. Giving a whoop, he ran to it and shoved it open, not caring if he broke it off in his haste or not. Esperanza flew in and dropped the letter, which he had this time been carrying in his beak, into Harry's hand. Harry looked at it in confusion. Just a letter? She sent him letters every day...shouldn't it be different for his birthday?

Frowning, he opened the letter and slid out a folded piece of paper. It certainly looked like a letter. Pouting a bit, and knowing that Silver would scold him for doing so, he opened it and began to read.

_Harry,_

_I know what you're thinking – just a letter? Well, I do have a present for you, but you can't have it until you come here – Esperanza couldn't carry it. And also, this letter is just as important as the present itself. Or at least, I hope you think it is. Turning seventeen is a special time for all wizards, and I see no reason why it shouldn't be for you. I know you're probably moping about right now, or hexing the living daylights out of the Dursleys, so I thought that this would make you feel a bit better. Happy seventeenth birthday, sweetie!_

After reading the first few sentences, Harry already felt better. He read on eagerly, wanting to know exactly what was so important about the letter. He found out as his eyes landed on the next line.

_Seventeen Reasons Why I Love You:_

_1. The way you say 'I love you'.  
__2. The way you make my heart stop beating completely when I look at you.  
__3. The look in your eyes when you're determined to do something – and nervous about it.  
__4. The way you make me feel safe just by being near you.  
__5. The look on your face when you realize that we're alone in a room.  
__6. Your hair. It's adorable.  
__7. The way you look as if you've just defeated Voldemort whenever I call you 'sweetie'. (sweetie!)  
__8. How scared you look whenever I start to cry.  
__9. The way you say 'darling'.  
__10. The way you look at me when you want to kiss me.  
__11. The way you play along with my 'guessing games'.  
__12. Your eyes. Sincere, and beautiful. Occasionally mischievous. See #5 for further details.  
__13. I trust you completely – and, well, you know that you're almost the only person that I do.  
__14. You always know what I want – how do you do that?  
__15. Alright, I'll say it. Don't go all teenage-guyish, though. I love the way you kiss me.  
__16. I miss you so much whenever you're not around. I want to be with you forever!  
__17. I love you because you're you. _

_I could keep going, but I'd miss you so much I'd break in two! I love you, sweetie, and I'll see you soon!_

_Love,_

_Silver XOXO_

_P.S. Have fun using magic around your family...but you didn't hear it from me!_

Harry was grinning ear to ear as he finished the letter. The thought of Silver taking the time to write down seventeen reasons why she loved him made him want to jump with happiness. Not only was it an incredibly sweet thing to do, but the fact that it was Silver doing it made it all the more sweet. Not to mention that number sixteen gave him a bit more confident about a number of things he had previously been wondering about. And besides that, it was astounding that she could think up seventeen reasons not just to like, but to love him. In honor of the moment, he lay back on his bed for a few minutes, before deciding to take her ending advice to heart. Now that he wasn't in the mood to use Crucio, he could really have some fun with the Dursleys. After all, _they_ had no idea that he was allowed to use magic...oh yes, this was going to be fun.

Opening his door and skipping towards the kitchen, where he heard the telltale clattering of dishes, he withdrew his wand, twirling it about happily. Once he entered, everyone froze. It was like a very bad silent movie. Aunt Petunia stopped tending to the eggs, Uncle Vernon crumpled the newspaper in the places he was holding it, and Dudley's mouth dropped open as he clapped his hands over his bottom. All of them were staring at the wand in his hand. He smirked at them as he wondered which spell to use that would thoroughly scare them.

"What..._what_...are you doing with that..._thing_?" Uncle Vernon hissed, his eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Nothing, yet," Harry replied cheerfully.

Aunt Petunia made a whimpering noise that heightened Harry's spirits as much as the look of horror on Uncle Vernon's face.

"That school of yours...it'll kick you out!" he threatened, as if he knew a lot about Harry's school.

"Let's see it, then!" Harry exclaimed cheerfully, turning Dudley's sausage into a rat.

Dudley gave a rather girlish scream as he leapt up from the table, pointing with a shaking finger at the rat, who looked about to jump off of the plate. Harry transfigured it back just before it did, smirking at Dudley.

"Not hungry, Dudders?" he inquired.

Dudley gave a squeak of terror, and Harry knew that he was probably never going to eat a sausage again.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Uncle Vernon roared, his face a spectacular shade of purple.

"Magic," Harry replied simply, levitating the orange juice and pouring himself a cupful. "_Accio Juice_," he said boredly, allowing the glass to zoom into his hands, once again frightening the living daylights out of the Dursleys.

The Dursleys were watching with their mouths hanging open, as if they had absolutely no clue Harry was capable of doing magic.

"You...will...not," Uncle Vernon stammered finally, "In...my...house."

"Stop me," Harry challenged evenly.

For a moment, his uncle simply stared at him, until he rose from his chair, still gazing at Harry intensely, and strode from the room without a word. Dudley followed him, squeaking with fear, and Aunt Petunia was soon to follow in much the same manner. Feeling much better about himself in general, Harry began to make himself breakfast. He hadn't so much as made a piece of toast when a loud crack and a yelp from what was unmistakably Uncle Vernon caused his heart to soar. He dashed towards the source of the noise, and gave a whoop as he found Lupin standing in the front hallway. Lupin grinned at his reaction, and even more when he saw the wand in Harry's hand.

"Ready to come home, Harry?" he asked.

"Let's get my stuff!" Harry answered enthusiastically, causing Lupin to chuckle.

Lupin followed him upstairs and watched amusedly as Harry threw his things into his trunk, eventually causing an overflow before he was even halfway done.

"Hmph," Harry mumbled, shoving his things further down, "Need Silver for this."

"She does your packing for you?" Lupin inquired amusedly.

Harry grinned. "She did last time," he replied.

After a moment's debate, he decided to use an Enlargement Charm on his trunk, and managed to cram the rest of his belongings in there. He then turned to Lupin, grinning.

"Let's go!" he said enthusiastically.

Lupin chuckled. "Say goodbye, now," he said chidingly.

"Bye everyone!" Harry hollered at the top of his lungs, not bothering to elaborate.

Seeming satisfied, Lupin walked up and helped Harry grab onto his trunk. Then, placing his other hand on Harry's shoulder, Harry heard a small pop, and the next thing he knew, they were standing in the living room of Grimmauld Place.

"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks greeted from the couch.

"'Lo," Moody echoed from opposite her.

"Hello," Harry answered, feeling almost as cheerful as Dumbledore.

"Happy to be home?" Tonks inquired.

"Very," Harry confirmed.

Lupin took a seat on the couch next to Tonks, looking tired. Harry wondered if the full moon was close. He watched as Lupin turned to Tonks questioningly.

"Are Snape and Silver back yet?" he asked.

_Back? _Harry's mind echoed, _Meaning that they're not here?_

"No, not yet," Tonks replied with a sympathetic glance at Harry.

"Back from where?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore was taking them to look at a house," Moody supplied, sounding bored, "Another one."

"Another?" Harry echoed dumbly.

Lupin gave a snort of laughter, and Tonks giggled. "Yeah, Snape's a bit on the picky side," she said.

Harry got the feeling that was an understatement from the look on Moody and Lupin's faces.

"The Weasleys should be here soon, though," Lupin said, glancing at the clock.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and a myriad of voices could be heard outside.

"And here they are," Tonks said cheerfully, rising from the couch with Lupin to go let them in.

Harry tailed behind them, and the moment he entered the hall he was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug from Mrs. Weasley.

"Happy birthday, darling," she gushed, squeezing him even tighter.

"Thanks," he choked, wondering if he would ever breathe again.

"Mum, let the poor boy go," one of the twins said from behind her, "I mean, I know he's made it to his seventeenth birthday and all, but he's not ready to die yet."

Harry couldn't tell if it had been both of the twins speaking or just one of them, but Mrs. Weasley abruptly let him go, beaming at him as she did so.

"Now don't you worry about not having a party today," she said in a chiding voice, "We're going to wait until everyone gets here to do that, alright sweetie?"

He grinned at her, nodding, and then winked at the twins as she proceeded to make her way towards the kitchen.

"Hey, Harry," Ron greeted.

"Hey," Harry replied, "Wanna help me get my trunk upstairs?"

"Sure," Ron said agreeably, following Harry to his oversized trunk.

"Enlargement Charm," Harry explained as he grabbed one end, and Ron the other, "Didn't want to bother with folding."

"So you'll just have Silver do it for you, right?" Ron sniggered.

"Probably," Harry admitted unashamedly.

"Where is she, anyhow?" Ron asked, looking around and peering into the bedrooms as they walked past.

"House-shopping with Snape," Harry said, a bit irritably.

"Oh," Ron said simply.

They set Harry's trunk down, and Harry looked up to find Ron looking at him oddly.

"What?" he asked.

"Well," Ron said, looking uncomfortable, "I was wondering if...maybe...we could talk...about stuff...later."

By this time, Ron's ears were a brilliant shade of red, and it was beginning to spread to his cheeks. Harry was momentarily puzzled, until he remembered him and Silver's talk at the Valentines Day Ball.

"Sure," Harry replied, "When did you have in mind?"

"Later," Ron mumbled, studying the ground intently, "Maybe tomorrow."

"Alright," Harry agreed, trying to look as if he were clueless, instead of amused.

He and Ron ended up walking down into the living room to join Fred, George, and Ginny, seeing as the adults had all congregated to the kitchen. Harry hardly paid attention to anything being said, waiting to hear the front door open and Silver to walk in. He was able to make out that Ron looked vaguely upset about something, but he wasn't paying attention enough to link it to Hermione's absence.

"Harry...earth to Harry...Harry?" George was saying, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Wha..." Harry said dreamily.

"She is going to come home, you know, but until she does, you could try to pay attention to what we're saying," Fred replied.

"Kay," Harry replied noncommittally.

Ginny giggled, and the twins rolled their eyes. Harry noted that Ron, like himself, seemed to be a bit out of it, and wondered if it had to do with the talk they were going to have.

"Say, Harry," Fred said suddenly, "I reckon you're going to have an even harder time getting her away from Snape."

"Why?" Harry asked, immediately snapping back to attention.

"She's refused to leave his side the whole summer," George replied, everybody suddenly becoming serious, "She wouldn't even go to Hermione's house. But it's not because of, well, whatever reason she usually is around him. She's actually scared to be without him."

"Why?" Harry questioned again.

Fred and George exchanged glances, and Ron, whom had been actually paying attention, looked at the ground. It was Ginny who spoke.

"Harry, whatever they did to her – it scared her," she said quietly.

"We heard Lupin talking once," George said hesitantly, "He was saying that she had nightmares."

"Every night," Fred added, "But we don't know, because we haven't actually spent a night here yet. Guess we'll find out tonight."

"She never said anything to me," Harry said slowly, more to himself than to the others.

"Us either," Ron replied suddenly, "We wouldn't have known anything if we hadn't heard Lupin, and then Snape the other day."

Ginny made a movement suspiciously like elbowing Ron, except she tried to make it look like an accident.

"What did Snape say?" Harry asked, fixing Ron with a look that clearly stated he had better reply truthfully.

"Well," Ron said hesitantly, "He said that Dumbledore didn't believe that Silver hadn't been...that she couldn't be...well, pregnant."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Wouldn't he be able to tell if she were?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Well, he might, but Silver's so slender that it might not actually be noticeable until..." Ginny trailed off, shaking her head slightly.

Harry's mind was spinning with the information. "Why doesn't Dumbledore believe her?" he asked finally.

Ron gave a snort. "That's exactly what Snape said. He was so mad it wasn't even funny...well, at least not until afterwards."

Fred and George chuckled softly, but they still looked serious.

"She does seem happy, though," Fred commented, "Hasn't been depressed or anything, that I can see."

"Me either," George agreed, "And Snape's different. When he thinks no one's watching, that is."

At this, all four of the Weasleys sniggered. Harry almost made a reply when the sound of the doorknob turning caused them all to silence, and he was able to see for himself what they meant. The sound of Silver's laugh drifted through the doorway, and when she spoke, Harry was overcome with both a desire to see her, and the feeling that he should wait for her to see him.

"No, not green!" she exclaimed, "Your house was decorated in green before! It's too Slytherin!"

"It is not," Snape replied, sounding offended.

"Is too," she replied in a sing song voice, "What about-"

"No," Snape answered before she could finish, "I'm not putting bloody Gryffindor red in my house."

"It's not red," Silver protested, "It's...crimson!"

"I won't have it," Snape declared stubbornly.

"Oh, come on!" Silver begged, a smile evident in her voice.

"There's nothing wrong with green," Snape told her, "In fact, I quite like it, for your information."

"But you've gotten to have it ever since you had your house," Silver argued, "That's like...forever."

"Are you calling me old?" Snape inquired.

She giggled. "Yes," she replied.

Suddenly, she gave a squeal. "No!" she exclaimed, "No, I didn't mean it!"

Harry heard quick footsteps, and the sound of giggling. Silver suddenly appeared in the doorway, and stopped short when she saw them, her eyes wide with surprise. Snape came into view only a second later, nearly colliding into her.

"What are you d-"he began, but he stopped as he saw them.

Immediately, he straightened up and cleared his throat, his eyes passing over them with an air of superiority. Only when they came to Harry did he do a double-take.

"Potter," he said, shock evident in his voice.

"Harry!" Silver squealed, suddenly making a run for him.

He got up just in time to catch her in his arms as she pounced on him. "Harry," she murmured, "How did you get here? When? Why didn't you tell me? Did you-"

"Whoa, there," Harry said, tugging gently at her hair, "Too many questions. I got here this morning – Lupin apparated me over. I didn't know I was coming any more than you did."

"Oh," she said, her voice muffled due to the fact that her face was buried in his neck.

She pulled away, looking at him with a bit of a blush on her cheeks, although he wasn't sure why.

"Did you get my letter?" she asked shyly.

He felt a grin spreading over his face. "I did – thanks," he said, awkwardly aware of the others in the room.

She beamed at him and hugged him once more, and he wasn't sure if it was to hide her blush or just for the sake of hugging him. Snape cleared his throat, gaining the attention of both him and Silver. His eyes were focused questioningly on Silver.

"I'll...stay here," she said uncertainly.

He looked at Harry for a moment before nodding. "I'll be in the kitchen, no doubt," he told her, looking at Harry once more. "Behave yourself, Potter," he added menacingly before leaving. The change of tone in his voice talking to Silver compared to talking to Harry was nothing short of amazing.

As Snape left, Harry felt silver tense. He looked down at her to see that her eyes were looking anxiously at where Snape had disappeared. Apparently the twins hadn't been kidding.

"Hey," he said, touching her arm to get her attention, "Wanna sit down?"

She visibly jumped as he touched her, and her head whipped around almost accusingly, until she saw him. She smiled at his question, and nodded wordlessly. A bit puzzled, Harry walked over to the couch and sat down. Silver immediately snuggled up beside him, clinging to him as if she were afraid he would vanish at any moment.

Over the course of the day, Harry found that when in the same room as Snape, she would become completely at ease, but when separated from him, she latched herself onto Harry nervously, and flinched at the touch of anybody but him. After lunch, however, everybody adjourned to the living room, Snape included, and Harry chose an armchair in the back corner of the room for him and Silver to sit in. She willingly climbed onto his lap, giving him a slightly mischievous smile as she placed her arms around his neck.

"So," she murmured softly, bringing her face close to his, "Did you miss me?"

Without giving him a chance to answer, she pressed her lips against his. Harry immediately pulled her close to him, something that he hadn't been able to do the entire summer. Abruptly, she pulled away, much to his disappointment. She giggled softly at the look on his face.

"Come on," she whispered, taking him by the hand and pulling him up from the chair.

Willingly he followed her, not missing the way she made sure Snape wasn't watching before pulling him from the room and towards the kitchen.

"Where are we going?" he inquired curiously as she pulled him past the table.

"Backyard," she replied simply.

He grinned widely. "To those hidden places you wrote me about?" he asked.

She giggled. "Mm-hmm," she replied as she pulled the door open, "Thought we'd do a bit of exploring. But you have to be quite, because Charisma's napping, and she won't leave us alone if she wakes up."

Harry nodded, and saw what she meant as he stepped outside with her. Charisma, now fully grown, was sleeping much in the same position as a dog, her sides moving peacefully up and down. Putting a finger to her lips, Silver led him past the sleeping animal and towards a patch of trees. Upon entering, Harry saw what she meant by magically expanding – it was like entering a forest. She led him to a pile of gigantic boulders, set up in a kind of triangle on the grass.

"Come here," she told him, kneeling and crawling in.

He tried very hard not to look at her as she crawled in, for the thoughts that were going through his head had nothing to do whatsoever with 'exploring'...at least not the forest. As he followed her through, he found himself in what must have been a magically expanded cave. They were surrounded by rock, but the ground was soft and mossy. There was a bit of light filtering through where they had just crawled, but not nearly enough to see anything.

"Where are you?" he asked, squinting.

"Right here," she replied, kissing him playfully.

He reached for her, only to find that she wasn't there. "Hey," he protested, groping around in the darkness for her.

He felt her arms slide around him from behind, and she giggled in his ear.

"Looking for something?" she inquired.

"Not anymore," he replied, twisting around and pulling her into his arms.

"Cheater," she accused against his lips.  
  
"Want me to let you go?" he replied, having no intentions of actually doing so.

"Mm, no," she assured him, "But I would appreciate it if you'd stop talking."

He grinned as he bent to kiss her, not about to argue with her when she was in such a good mood. She pushed one of her hands through his hair, her other one gently caressing the side of his face. Suddenly and without warning, she deepened the kiss, pulling him to her with passion. He felt himself leaning forwards, and through doing so, pushing her downwards. Immediately accommodating him, she pulled him down with her as she fell backwards, her eyes glittering with anticipation. He gave a low growl as he lowered his lips to hers, placing one hand in her hair and the other on her waist. He had missed her for so long, and now her scent was intoxicating him, her arms welcoming him, and her every curve tempting him.

"God I missed you," he murmured against her lips, the hand on her waist tightening.

"I know," she replied breathlessly, kissing him softly, "Trust me."

He hovered above her for a moment before rolling onto his side, facing her. She definitely looked disappointed, much to his amusement.

"Your letter," he said quietly, tugging on her waist.

"I meant everything," she told him, snuggling up against him.

"It would have gotten me through the summer," he replied.

She looked up at him, smiling. "Really?" she asked.

"Really," he confirmed, kissing her briefly.

"Well," she began, playfully fiddling with his shirt, "Now that you're here..."

She was cut short by the sound of a voice that was unmistakably Snape's echoing through the backyard.

"Silver! Stop snogging Potter and get in here!" he yelled irritably.

She burst into giggles. "Did he just say snogging?" she asked through laughter as she got up.

"I think so," Harry replied, not nearly as amused at the idea of leaving the rather cozy cave.

He followed her out of the opening, to find that the forest had suddenly become much too bright for his liking. As he got up, Silver linked hands with his, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Try to look innocent when we get to the house," she advised.

"Thanks for the advice," he replied wryly.

When they entered, Snape was glaring at Harry with every ounce of hatred in him, and everyone else was smirking slightly. Silver leaned over and whispered quietly into his ear.

"See you later, sweetie," she said, kissing him on the cheek before bounding cheerily over to Snape.

He glared down at her for only a moment before softening and setting a hand on her head. "Come, child," he said quietly, turning towards the stairs and removing his hand.

With a glance over her shoulder and a wave at Harry, Silver happily followed him, bouncing on each stair her foot landed on. He reluctantly turned away from her and walked over to where Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny where snickering.

"You should've seen the look on his face when he realized you two were gone!" Ron crowed, "I thought he was going to use a summoning charm on Silver!"

Harry snorted at the thought of Snape summoning Silver to him. In a way, it wouldn't surprise him.

"He's awfully clingy to her, is what he is," he said defiantly, leaning back against the couch.

"I think that's the most they've been apart all summer, Harry," Ginny replied, "You should feel honored for being the reason. Or maybe scared..."

Harry grinned, and then looked out towards the stairs again. "Where'd they go?" he wondered aloud.

"We won't see 'em again 'til dinner," George volunteered, "They never come downstairs until breakfast, and sometime before dinner they either go to Diagon Alley, Dumbledore's office, or upstairs to work on some type of potion or another. They come back exactly at dinnertime. Then, they sit in the living room. Snape reads a book and Silver falls asleep on the couch next to him."

Harry frowned. Dinner seemed like a long time away. "She'll come down before then," he said confidently.

George just shrugged, and challenged Ginny to a game of Wizard's Chess. Nobody looked very believing of Harry's statement.

Harry realized why some few hours later, when neither Silver nor Snape had come back downstairs. As he walked into the kitchen, he mumbled incessantly about being too clingy, not sure if he was talking about Snape or Silver. The others seemed to find this amusing, especially George, who had a look on his face that as good as shouted 'I told you so!' After everyone had sat down, the door opened and, amazingly, Snape walked in unaccompanied. Everyone looked shocked, including Snape, as his eyes scanned the table to find no Silver.

"Where is she?" he demanded suspiciously.

"Right here!" Silver sang out suddenly, bursting through the door and enveloping him in a hug from behind.

Looking relieved, Snape patted her arms where they lay around him. "Alright now, sit down," he ordered, attempting to sound annoyed.

She chose the chair across from Harry, and Snape sat down beside her. Harry was a bit annoyed that she hadn't sat next to him, and he speared a piece of chicken with particular vigor after Mrs. Weasley had set his plate down in front of him. Suddenly, he felt something rubbing gently up and down his leg. He choked on the chicken, causing everyone to stare at him. Gulping down the juice that had been presented to him, he chanced a glance at Silver. She was wearing a satisfied smirk that she quickly replaced with a look of utter innocence as she looked at him. For the remainder of dinner, the two played at that game, each retaining a cool, calm exterior as they ate, while, although occasionally Silver would burst into giggles. All in all, Harry completely forgave her for her absence as of earlier during the meal, which he found was particularly enjoyable.

After dinner, Silver sat with him and the Weasleys for a good time as Snape sat at the end of one couch, reading a book. She began to yawn more and more frequently as the hours ticked by, and seemed to be struggling to stay awake. Finally, she gave a small sigh and gave Harry an apologetic glance.

"I'm going to go to bed," she announced.

"Night," everyone chorused.

"Night everyone, night Harry," she said, leaning forwards to give him a kiss goodnight.

He smiled at her as she drew away, and she smiled back sleepily. When she got up, instead of heading for the stairs, she made a beeline for Snape's couch. He looked up from his book as she approached, at first looking annoyed at being disturbed, and then amused.

"A bit tired, are we?" he inquired.

"G'night," she replied sleepily, placing a pillow beside him and laying down there.

Snape took the liberty of levitating some blankets over her already sleeping figure, and then went back to reading his book. Harry watched with a mixture of confusion and jealousy. He wouldn't have minded if she had fallen asleep next to _him_.

"This happens every night?" he inquired.

"Without fail," Fred confirmed.

"I think it's cute," Ginny volunteered.

"I think it's disgusting," Ron replied, "He's way too nice to her."

Harry just shook his head. The four stayed up for another couple of hours before Ginny left, too tired to continue, and it was only a matter of minutes before Harry and Ron followed suit. All in all, Harry supposed it had been a very nice birthday, although he hadn't had a party. All that really mattered to him was that he was no longer at the Dursleys, and he was with Silver. He couldn't help but be troubled thinking of what had been reported to him as far as her fears went. If she couldn't handle a day without Snape, how was she going to make it through school – it wasn't as if she could sit in Potions class all day long, every day. He continued to think about her for a very long time, until he was somewhere in between wakefulness and sleep. He vaguely heard the door creak open, and saw some light reflecting on the wall, but he figured it was just Mrs. Weasley checking on them. Immediately he feigned sleep, attempting to make his breathing deep and even. As such, he was extremely shocked when he felt warm breath on his neck, followed shortly by a soft kiss.

"You're bad at faking sleep, did you know that?" Silver asked curiously.

He rolled over to be greeted with a very pleasant vision, indeed. Silver was smiling at him, dressed in her pajamas, which were rather attractive. They consisted of what appeared to be very soft pants, and a spaghetti strap top that fit her very well. He grinned at her, reaching up a hand to brush her hair out of her face.

"Nah, nobody's ever told me," he said in answer to her question.

She looked at him a moment, seeming to consider him thoughtfully, before reaching out and pulling back his covers slightly. He watched with a mixture of amazement and surprise as she slid in beside him, making him think a million things at once – at least half of which were not appropriate. However, she didn't seem to be thinking along those lines as she snuggled up to him sweetly, making him feel ashamed of his earlier thoughts. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, causing her to sigh with contentment.

"I missed you," she murmured quietly against his chest.

"Not half as much as I missed you," he replied, kissing her atop the head.

"Mmm," she replied contentedly, snuggling even closer.

For a good few minutes, they were silent. Her hand lay on his chest, her thumb rubbing him lovingly, and he gently stroked her hair, both of them content to be in the arms of the other. Harry wondered how long she was planning on staying, and found himself becoming drowsy after a while, so much so that he almost missed the most important words of the night.

"I love you, Harry," she whispered.

For a moment, he was silent, allowing the sincerity of her words to sink in to their fullest extent, before he answered.

"I love you, too."

There was no response, but he knew that for once, she hadn't needed to hear him say it back. And that was what mattered.

**Note: **Wow, I would reply to all of your lovely reviews, but it's much too late at night for that. So thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, and I will try and do a response to reviews next time!

Oh, and nobody worry - we will find out what Harry's birthday present is, we will find out what Silver's locket means, we will find out who her father is, we will find out what the picture in the living room means, and we will find out about Harry's talk with Snape! And we'll find out about all those other things I'm sure I forgot, too. Meh. XP


	6. Oh, The Irony

**Disclaimer: **If I were J.K. Rowling, do you really think I'd be posting my work on a fanfiction site? I think not.

**Note: **Sorry for the long wait, I had to do a lab for science and the dratted thing took all my time. I'm done now, though! -smiles-

**Chapter 6 – Oh, the Irony**

Harry awoke somewhat disconcerted, at first wondering what it was, exactly, that was pressed up against him, giving off warmth and the scent of apples and cinnamon. He opened his eyes and glanced downwards slightly, sliding his glasses on. Immediately a grin spread over his face. Silver was nestled against him, one hand laying on his chest and the other on his shoulder, and a kind of half-smile on her face. Not surprising to him in the least, one of his arms was draped over her waist, and the other immersed in her hair. Harry made a slight move with his right leg, only to realize that somehow during the night their legs had become intertwined. He felt a slight blush rising to his face as he gently disentangled himself from her, causing her to stir, coincidentally putting her leg right back where it had been. He nudged her leg away with his own, but left it so that they were still in contact...after all, he didn't want to put a complete end to it.

She stirred once more, and he watched as her eyes flickered open, landing on his chest. He saw momentary confusion, followed by a smile. She turned her head up to look at him, and reached up to touch his cheek. Harry found himself wondering what it would be like to wake up every morning in the same manner. He reached down and brushed her hair out of her face, staring at her with a kind of fascination.

"Is this how it's gonna be?" he wondered aloud.

"How what's gonna be?" she replied quietly.

Mentally smacking himself, Harry searched in vain for an answer. What was he supposed to say to that? The word marriage would no doubt scare her half to death, but he couldn't think of anything else.

"It," he finally answered.

She smiled amusedly up at him. "It, hmm?" she asked.

Without waiting for an answer, she snuggled closer to him, and he willingly pulled her to him, thankful that she didn't find anything suspicious about his explanation. Harry suddenly heard what could only be the clatter of dishes downstairs, and froze. Pulling away from Silver slightly, he rolled over to glance at the bed next to him. No Ron. He rolled back to Silver, who looked at him curiously.

"Ron's already awake," he said cautiously.

She smiled. "I bet he'll be just delighted to tease us when we get downstairs."

"Yeah," Harry said, "He's probably gone and told everyone that..."

He trailed off as he realized whom, exactly, the term 'everyone' included. Everyone. Snape. He was going to die. He glanced down at Silver to see that she looked deep in thought about something. She met his gaze, and smiled, scooting up in order to plant a kiss on his lips.

"I should go," she murmured quietly, "Or else we'll both be in trouble. See you downstairs, hon."

A kiss later, she was gone, leaving Harry feeling cold and a bit lonely, but also relieved. Hopefully she would be able to talk Snape out of whatever murder he was planning for him. Seeing no reason to stay in bed now that Silver was gone, he stretched and got up, rummaging around in his enlarged trunk for a shirt that wasn't too wrinkled from being stuffed in. When he finally dressed, he headed downstairs, fully expecting to be hexed by Snape when he walked through the kitchen door. To his relief, Snape wasn't present when he entered. To his dismay, the only people that _were_ present were Lupin, Moody, Kingsley, Ron, and Mr. Weasley, all whom stopped talking and started smirking once he walked through the door.

"Good night's sleep, Harry?" Lupin inquired innocently.

"Very, why do you ask?" Harry answered dryly, sitting down across from him and next to Ron.

"Cause you're gonna wish you were back in that bed when Snape gets down here!" Ron sang out cheerfully.

The others burst into laughter, which Harry found to be twisted.

"Silver's talking to him," he mumbled.

"And what's she gonna tell him that'll make him not want to kill you for sleeping with her?" Ron countered.

Harry felt his face go several shades of red. "Don't say it like that," he said, "All we did is sleep, sheesh!"

"Well that's boring," Lupin commented.

"Are you sure you're an appropriate guardian for the boy?" came Snape's voice from the doorway.

Everyone glanced up to see Snape looking at Lupin with a half amused, half disapproving look, seeming oddly subdued for what had taken place during the night...which was, as Harry reminded himself, nothing but sleep.

"Erm..." Lupin said uncertainly, blushing slightly at Snape's accusing glare.

Snape glared at him as he took a seat at the table, and then turned his gaze to Harry with particular menace. Harry decided that he didn't look so subdued after all. He realized that Lupin was giving him a pointed look, and couldn't figure out why for a moment. Then he remembered...he was going to have to 'talk' to Snape. But certainly not now, so why was Lupin looking at him like that? Then, it occurred to him. Maybe it would help if he was nice to Snape before actually 'talking' to him. There had to be some way that Silver had softened him up.

"Good morning," Harry said in what he hoped was a friendly manner.

Snape's eyes flickered towards Harry, looking suspicious. "Morning," he muttered, sounding highly annoyed.

Harry looked towards Lupin, and received an encouraging glance. He turned back to Snape, who hadn't missed a bit of the exchange and now looked about ready to strangle both of them for keeping something from him.

"Did you get a good night's sleep?" Harry asked politely.

"No," Snape growled, putting his face threateningly closer to Harry's, "You see, I might've, if I hadn't woken up in the middle of the night to find Silver _gone_."

"Oh," Harry said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Looking satisfied, Snape straightened once more, obviously believing that he had gotten Harry out of his hair. He wasn't quite so lucky, seeing as Harry was a very determined individual.

"Going anywhere today?" he inquired innocently.

"Why do you want to know?" Snape demanded suspiciously.

"Just wondering if you had any plans," Harry answered.

Raising his eyebrow at Harry and giving both him and Lupin a dirty look, he replied, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am."

With that, he picked up the Daily Prophet from the table and began to act very interested in it. Harry glanced to see Mr. Weasley and Lupin sniggering, and the others sending him awed and confused glances. Ron, in particular, looked startled at Harry's apparent death wish. Glaring at Lupin and Mr. Weasley, Harry continued in vain to strike up something resembling anything other than hatred between himself and Snape.

"Where?" he asked, pretending to be very interested.

Snape looked about to hit him over the head with the paper. Slowly, he met Harry's gaze, mouth set in a firm line.

"Potter, I don't know what-"he began, but he was cut short as Silver skipped through the door, enfolding him in a hug.

"Morning," she sang out cheerfully before straightening and observing the occupants of the table.

"Uh-oh, did I interrupt a 'guy meeting'?" she asked curiously, "And why are you all looking at Harry like that?"

"Potter's taken it upon himself to learn my schedule for the day," Snape supplied, looking at Harry accusingly.

Silver gave Harry a questioning glance before answering Snape in a confident tone. "I'm sure he's not," she said, patting Snape on the shoulder comfortingly.

Snape gave a snort that clearly stated he didn't agree, and Silver smiled, patting him once more. "Don't get too worked up now, old man, wouldn't want a heart attack, now would we?" she asked teasingly, earning herself a glare that somehow didn't look very threatening at all.

"You're a very impertinent child," Snape informed her, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I take after my guardian," she replied with an innocent smile.

Snape gave a snort of amusement and returned to reading the paper. Looking satisfied, Silver walked into the kitchen, peering into the cupboards curiously.

"What did you all have for breakfast?" she asked.

"Molly made us waffles," Lupin replied happily.

"Hmm, I can't make those," Silver mused, pulling a pan out of a cupboard, "How do you feel about eggs, Harry?"

For a moment, Harry was surprised at the question. "Uh, I like eggs," he managed finally.

"Perfect," Silver replied, "Because that's all I know how to make."

Snape made a sort of amused noise from behind his paper, causing Silver to give the back of his head a patronizing look. Lupin chuckled, and everyone looked amused.

"So, Silver, good night's sleep?" Ron inquired, much in the same tone Lupin had used with Harry.

"Oh yes," Silver agreed immediately as she nursed to the eggs, "_Very_."

Harry couldn't help but grin at the emphasis she had put in the word 'very'. Snape looked as if he might tolerate it, until he caught sight of Harry's smirk over his paper.

"Too bad it won't be happening again," he said, smirking right back at Harry.

"Don't sound so satisfied," Silver told him, placing a plate full of eggs and toast in front of him.

"I'll try," Snape lied, setting down the paper in favor of the food that had been presented to him.

In a few seconds, Harry's came, along with a smile from Silver. He compared his and Snape's plates carefully, trying to figure out if either of them had gotten more food than the other. He looked up to find that Snape was also studying his plate. Their eyes locked, but Silver interrupted before either of them could say anything.

"Don't worry, I gave you both exactly the same amount," she told them, her voice slightly teasing.

Both of them looking slightly embarrassed, they began to eat their breakfast in silence, ignoring the snickers that were being sent in their direction.

"So," Silver said suddenly, looking at Harry with a slightly guilty look, "Since I'm going to be gone the whole day..."

"You're what?" Harry interrupted, very displeased with the information.

"Going to be gone," Silver repeated slowly, "We're moving."

It took Harry a moment to figure out that she was talking about herself and Snape, and then he was even more put out. Frowning, he set down his toast. Snape peered at him interestedly for a moment before returning to his breakfast.

"So you're not going to be here the rest of the summer?" Harry demanded.

"We'll be here every day," Silver defended quickly, "Or almost, at least...we just won't be spending the night here anymore."

Harry hardly heard her due to the fact that Snape was looking rather smug, and he very much wanted to hex him. Finally he turned to Silver, just in time to hear her last comment. He gave her a look that clearly asked why she hadn't given him that particular information before, and she merely blinked at him for a moment before abandoning her own breakfast and standing up.

"Come talk with me in the living room, Harry," she said, sounding a bit like a mother about to get her child in trouble.

Harry glumly followed her instructions, following her to the living room, where she sat down on a couch and patted the seat beside her pointedly. He sat down next to her, and she took his hands in hers.

"Harry, you can't be upset," she began calmly.

"Why not?" he grumbled.

She gave a sigh that held a bit of exasperation in it. "Because, Harry, we can't stay here all summer, and I have to help him with the move," she said patronizingly.

"Why can't you stay here?" Harry replied stubbornly.

"Because, he needs room for his potion making," she explained, rubbing his hand with her thumb, "And it's going to be much too crowded here, anyhow. You know that he's-"

"Antisocial?" Harry suggested.

She gave him a slightly disapproving look. "Shy," she corrected pointedly, causing Harry to snort with amusement.

"He's not shy, he's a git," Harry said bluntly.

"Harry!" Silver exclaimed, trying to mask her exasperation with obvious difficulty, "Please, stop being so childish about this. The point is..."

"I'm not being childish!" Harry countered, his voice raising a notch.

"Yes, you are," she replied, maddeningly calm.

"You want to be away from me!" Harry accused stubbornly.

She looked nothing short of horrified. "Of course I don't, Harry!" she exclaimed, "I would never want to be away from you, but some things just have to be."

"No they don't," he insisted, "You could ask him to stay here for the summer, and he would say yes. You know he would."

"I know, hon," she said softly, "But he needs me."

"No he doesn't!" Harry exclaimed, taking one of his hands out of her grasp in order to bang it on the couch with frustration.

"Harry, stop it," she said, "He does, too, and you need to stop acting like this. I'll see you nearly every day, anyway, and..."

Harry took his other hand out of her grasp, unashamedly pouting. He didn't want her to have to leave, and nothing she could say would convince him otherwise. And besides, what did she need to be with that grump for? That grump with a _smirk_ on his ugly face when Silver had announced that they were moving. The stupid git whom he had to ask permission to marry Silver. _Something is definitely wrong with my life_, Harry decided, coming back to reality in time to hear Silver's last words.

"...you, but you have to understand that he needs me, too."

"Oh," Harry said angrily, "So you'd rather be with him than me, because I don't need you? Is that what you think?"

"I never said you didn't need me, Harry," Silver replied, sounding a bit tense, "It's just that I'll be with you the whole school year, and..."

"You'll be with him the whole school year!" Harry interrupted loudly, "I bet you'll spend all day in the stupid dungeons, because he _needs_ you!"

For a moment, Silver looked taken aback. "Harry, you don't know-" she began, but again, Harry interrupted.

"Yes, I do know!" he yelled, feeling unduly provoked.

Something akin to accusation lit in Silver's eyes, and her own voice rose to something close to a yell as she responded. "No, you don't! You don't even know what I was going to say!" she exclaimed.

"So what?" Harry bellowed, jumping up from the couch and not really knowing why he was yelling at her when he should be kissing her goodbye, "It probably was some load of mush that had to do with that greasy git!"

Silver looked almost as if she had been slapped, and she rose, too. "Stop it!" she yelled back, "That wasn't what I was going to say! You need to stop being so arrogant and start realizing that you don't know everything, and not everything revolves around you!"

Harry's eyes first widened, and then narrowed. In his mind, a scene of a red-haired girl yelling at a boy with raven black hair and hazel eyes played itself out.

"Arrogant?" he whispered, so angry he couldn't even yell, "I'm arrogant?"

Silver looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, taking a slow step backwards. Harry was seeing red, fused by the memory of his mother yelling that same name at his father, at the same time declaring her hatred for him.

"I suppose you hate me, too?" he asked, his voice rising to a normal tone and going steadily upwards from there, "I suppose you wouldn't date me if your life depended on it? I suppose-"

"Stop supposing, because I didn't say that," Silver said.

Harry flatly ignored her. "Well I have news for you!" he yelled, eyes blazing, "You're _clingy_!"

If anything, this seemed to ignite Silver's temper. "Clingy, am I?" she yelled, nearly jumping off of the ground in her fury, "Fine, Harry, fine!"

She began to leave the room, and Harry half-realized what was happening. "Where are you going?" he demanded.

"To go _cling_ to someone else!" she retorted, pushing past him and out the door.

"Fine," he growled after her, nearly shaking with anger.

"And just for the record, _Potter_," she called from upstairs, "You're not only arrogant, but stubborn!"

The next sound Harry heard was the slamming of a door. "And you're not only clingy, but annoying," he muttered angrily, stalking upstairs himself and slamming the door so hard he was surprised it didn't break off.

As he threw himself onto his bed, muttering to himself, he suddenly stopped, remembering that, ironically, he had been supposed to talk to Ron about love sometime that day. Groaning, he pressed his head into his pillow, trying desperately to sort out in his mind what had just happened.


	7. Guilt and Revelations

**Comments: **Sorry for the crappy chapter title. Can't really think of one. Lol.

**Chapter 7 – Guilt and Revelations**

Harry stared at the ceiling, his face looking somewhere between a glare and a thoughtful glance. The house was thoroughly silent, although he could only imagine the conversation that was probably taking place in the kitchen at that moment. After a while, Snape had come up and knocked on Silver's door. As Harry had expected, she had greeted him with a teary, "Am I really clingy?" Snape's response had been nothing short of a sincere, "Good heavens, yes!" She hadn't taken it well at all, but for some reason hadn't called _him _arrogant, or slammed the door in his face. He had ended up threatening to sell Charisma if she didn't get over it and come with him, and so, needless to say, she went without complaint.

Harry was drawn back to attention by the sound of footsteps approaching. If it was someone that was going to give him 'advice', he'd strangle them. In fact, it was just the opposite. Ron entered the room, looking more than a bit hesitant. Remembering the talk he was supposed to have with Ron, Harry straightened up, clearing his throat. Ron looked very much as if he would rather Harry not bring the subject up at all as he searched through his trunk for something.

"So...you wanted to talk today?" Harry asked.

"Uh, no," Ron said quickly, "Of course not."

Harry found a smile of amusement spreading across his face. "Oh, come on, Ron, out with it," he urged.

"Well," Ron said hesitantly, staring at the floor, "I don't think you can answer anymore."

"Why not?" Harry asked, still amused.

"Cause, it was about love, and you...well..." he paused, trying to think of a nice way to inform Harry that he had just had a fight with his girlfriend.

"Get a grip, Ron, I still love her," Harry told him, shaking his head at his friend's hesitancy.

"You do?" Ron asked, seeming surprised, "Are you sure?"

Harry snorted with laughter, now finding the whole situation inexplicably funny. "I'm positive," he assured Ron, "So question away."

Looking highly disbelieving that Harry could still love Silver, Ron tentatively began. "Well...you see, Hermione...she wants me to tell her that I love her," he admitted, his face a brilliant shade of red by the time he finished the sentence.

"Well, do you?" Harry asked sensibly.

Ron's face went an even deeper shade of red as he replied. "I don't know," he groaned, "How can you tell?"

_When you got in a fight with your girlfriend an hour ago and are already wishing that she was back so you can 'make up' with her_, Harry thought wryly. He answered in a slightly different context, however.

"Well, when you never want to be away from them, for one," he said, "How come Hermione isn't here yet?"

"I just couldn't invite her," Ron said, shaking his head emphatically, "I want to be with her, but I just can't take it anymore. Every time I so much as _look _at her she starts pouring out mush that I can't even understand, and it always ends with 'I love you'. And if I don't say it back, she starts getting teary and sniffling, and I just can't handle it."

Harry raised an eyebrow, wondering if they were talking about the same Hermione. She had never seemed the type of girl to get that emotional over something; in fact, he had expected that she would understand Ron's dilemma better than anyone.

"Well, I reckon you have to tell her what you just told me," he mused, "Except without the whole mush that you can't even understand part...and, you have to figure out if you love her."

"But how?" Ron replied, sounding frustrated.

"Listen," Harry said, a bit confused himself, "It's something you can't think about too much. When I look at Silver, no matter if I'm across the room or right next to her, I just _know_. Even when I think about her, I know. And even after she calls me arrogant and stubborn, I know. It's not something you can force."

"Well, Hermione's forcing," Ron replied.

Harry felt a bit sorry for Ron, and gave his friend a sympathetic gaze. Funny how it had almost been the complete opposite with him and Silver.

"It's not that it's not nice to know that she likes me so much," Ron said thoughtfully, "It's just that when I say it to her, I don't want to be unsure."

Harry nodded. "Well, have you told her that?" he asked.

Ron smiled sheepishly. "Uh, no," he admitted.

"You should," Harry said, nodding, "Hermione is...usually...sensible."

Ron snorted. "You have no idea," he informed Harry.

Harry wasn't sure what Ron was talking about, nor was he sure that he wanted to know.

"I'm going to go write Hermione a letter," Ron announced, jumping up and heading out the door without so much as waiting for a reply.

"You do that," Harry replied after his retreating back.

He then proceeded to lay back on his bed, figuring that he had nothing else to do. He thought about him and Silver's argument. Really, it had been over nothing, but then, she had called him _arrogant_. Snape had probably just loved that. Had she meant it? He remembered his mother yelling that word at his father in much the same manner Silver had at him, and groaned to think of the other things she had said along with it. _But Silver never said any of those things, _he reminded himself, _She was probably just mad...she couldn't have really meant it._ He pressed a hand to his head, trying to make sense of the entire argument. Maybe...just maybe...he had been overreacting. He knew that Silver tended to...well, cling...to Snape, and it shouldn't have surprised him so much.

The more he thought about it, the more it annoyed him that they had even gotten into the fight in the first place. He wasn't able to figure out if it was Silver's fault, Snape's fault, or his own, although he didn't consider the latter very much. The point was, he was away from Silver, and for all he knew she was still mad at him, which didn't put him in a good mood at all. He stalked down to the kitchen, still half angry at Silver for being mad at him in the first place, and knowing that it didn't make any sense. Upon pushing open the door, he found that Lupin, Tonks, and Mr. Weasley, whom looked as if they had been having a conversation, silenced at once.

"What?" Harry asked them sourly.

"Nothing," Lupin said, much too quickly.

"You can stop talking about me and Silver," Harry told them wryly, "It's really not that interesting."

"Oh, but it is," Tonks interrupted gleefully, "I heard you from all the way outside. You stubborn, arrogant little boy, you."

"Don't," Harry growled, glaring at her.

"Don't," Lupin echoed quickly, looking a bit alarmed at the look on Harry's face.

Looking disappointed, Tonks nodded. Harry silently fumed as he poured himself a glass of water. He didn't think being called arrogant was something to take lightly. Sitting down at the table, he plunked his glass down with such force that half of the water spilled out. Ignoring it, he took a sip, glaring at whatever his eyes happened to land on, which was, at the moment, the table.

"She didn't mean it, Harry," Lupin volunteered.

Harry looked up in surprise, not sure if Lupin was talking about Tonks or Silver. "Who?" he asked dumbly.

"Erm...well, I was talking about Tonks, but I'm sure Silver didn't mean it, either," Lupin replied, looking uncomfortable.

Harry shook his head and nearly went into the living room, but Ron was already occupying it in order to write his letter. Sighing, he turned and walked back through the kitchen in order to go into the backyard. Charisma was gone – she must have gone with Snape and Silver, and so he had the backyard to himself. He found himself walking the path he and Silver had walked before in order to get to the expanding cave. He crawled in and lay down on the cool, soft grass, finding that it was much easier to think there than in the house. In a matter of seconds, he was angry for an entirely different reason – that Silver wasn't there with him. Damn, he wanted her.

Deciding to write a letter to her, he crawled out of the cave, almost without realizing that his scar was beginning to prickle. By the time he reached the house, it was beginning to heat up as it had done the year before, when he had had to dunk it in some sort of potion Dumbledore had gotten for him...and had to have Silver kiss it. He gave a grunt of frustration as he stumbled into the kitchen.

"Need...potion," he muttered, suddenly feeling dizzy, as well, so much so that he couldn't tell who was in the kitchen at the moment.

"Harry?" Lupin asked, sounding concerned, "What's wrong?"

"My scar is-"Harry began, but he abruptly stopped as his scar seemed to explode.

He roared with pain, clutching at his forehead with both hands.

_Harry_, a voice in his head said cheerfully, _So nice to talk to you again. Now, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop fighting me and give in. We haven't had a nice talk in a good, long while, wouldn't you say?_

"Bastard," Harry grunted, having no intentions of giving in to anything.

A disappointed sigh sounded from within his head. _Very well, then. You do like doing things the hard way, don't you?_

The next moment, Harry's head felt as if it had split in two. He gave a startled yelp, and everything went black. He was swimming in darkness, unable to see or feel anything, until, slowly, a room came into view. He was sitting in a chair, and for some reason was chuckling...or no, that was Voldemort.

"It always takes you a while to catch on, doesn't it?" he asked himself, sounding immensely amused.

_Shut up, _Harry thought irritably.

"Now, now, that's not the way to treat your host," Voldemort chided him.

_What do you want? _Harry replied, highly annoyed.

"Just a few snippets of information," Voldemort replied, "Firstly, how is my little flower doing?"

Harry gave a roar of fury, attempting to pick up his hands and punch himself with them, but Voldemort prevented him from doing so, chuckling.

_She's not yours, _Harry growled silently, _She'll never be yours, you little..._

"Watch your language, now," Voldemort chided, still sounding oddly cheery, "She would want you to, you know. Ah, if only you could have heard her fear, Harry. If only you could have heard. But wait...you can."

Before Harry could reply, Silver's voice filled the room. He cringed at the sound of her voice.

"No!" she cried out, her voice filled with terror, "Stop it!"

"All you have to do," Lucius' silky voice replied, "Is tell us a bit about Potter. Where he is, for one. In case we wanted to send him a birthday card, you know."

"Get away from me," Silver replied, her voice now muffled by sobs, "Please, just stop. Harry...Harry!"

Lucius chuckled in reply. "Oh, no, flower," he said quietly, "I'm just getting started – and Potter won't be coming to save you."

Another terrified sob from Silver, and the room became strangely silent.

"Sounds like fun, doesn't it, Harry?" Voldemort asked pleasantly.

Harry didn't reply, his mind spinning. The sound of her calling for him echoed in his mind. She had called for him – she had wanted him to save her. And he had let her down. He was overcome with guilt, and he had a headache completely unrelated to his scar.

"Ah, Harry the hero," Voldemort sighed, sounding reminiscent, "Too bad you can't _always_ save someone, isn't it?"

_What did you do to her? _Harry managed.

"I'd much prefer to leave that to your imagination," Voldemort replied, "But I'll give you this much – Lucius rarely takes so much pleasure in the jobs that I give him. I had quite a nice time, myself. Spunky little flower, she is..."

_Bastard_, Harry accused.

Voldemort laughed. "You'd do well not to insult me at the moment," he informed Harry, "But I'm not finished with you quite yet. How is dear old Snape doing?"

_Grumpy. How do you think? _Harry replied, not realizing until too late that he had given away that he knew where Snape was.

"I expected as much," Voldemort said agreeably, "And where is he at the moment?"

Harry felt an incredible force pressing down on him, and before he could completely block it, a vision of Snape at the breakfast table, reading the newspaper, flashed in front of his eyes. It only took him a moment to piece together what was happening. Voldemort had weakened him by distracting him with Silver, while he really only wanted to know about Snape. With difficulty, Harry pushed him out of his thoughts, grunting with the effort.

"Stop it," Voldemort commanded, "Where was that?"

_Up your arse_, Harry retorted.

Immediately his scar burst with pain, although personally, Harry had thought his answer to be quite amusing.

"Where was it?" Voldemort demanded again.

_What, don't believe me? _Harry teased, managing to push him even further out.

The room began to become darker, and Voldemort gave a cry of fury. "I have not dismissed you!" he bellowed.

_Whatever, _Harry retorted, pushing himself even further and nearly losing vision of the room completely, _Bastard._

The next moment, he was enfolded in darkness once more, wholly too tired to bother to figure out what was happening. He allowed the darkness to enfold him, welcoming its peace and silence, and eventually, he figured that he was asleep.

..............................................................

He was in a world of warmth, perfectly content to be there, in the darkness, floating around without a care. He didn't have to think about anything – nothing at all. Something jolted against his chest, and the dark, silent world suddenly acquired sound. A soft rustling, followed by the sound of somehow familiar breathing could be heard. As if his senses were slowly being turned on, scent came next. A kind of spicy apples drifted somewhere around him, mingled with the scent of something much too sterile for it's own good. Slowly, he opened his eyes. At first, he squinted in protest to the brightness that surrounded him, but eventually managed to look at the room without his eyes burning. The scene was strangely familiar – something from his fifth year. Then it hit him. He was in St. Mungo's.

He nearly moved, but he then felt the warmth that was surrounding him shift from next to him. But warmth couldn't move...Silver, on the other hand, was very mobile. Glancing down slightly, he saw that it was, indeed, Silver. That explained both the warmth and the apples. He saw, upon closer inspection that she was awake, focusing on smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt and looking nervous. Without making a noise, he slid his arms around her and pulled her close. She gave a small gasp before looking up at him, surprise filling her eyes.

"Harry," she whispered reverently, scooting up in order to place a kiss on his lips.

"I was..." she paused for another kiss, "...so worried."

She planted another gentle kiss on his lips before looking at him, obviously still worried.

"I take it you're not mad at me, then?" he gathered.

"Never," she whispered, snuggling close to him, "I could never be mad at you for long. I missed you so much, and I felt so bad, and then..."

She gave a sniffle and wiped at her eyes before continuing.

"...then Lupin t...told us," she finished tearfully, "Oh, Harry, don't you ever do that again."

She held him tightly, as if afraid that he was going to disappear at any moment, and he found himself smiling.

"I'm sorry," he told her gently, "I didn't want to fight with you."

"I know," she murmured softly, "And you're not arrogant, sweetie."

She kissed him on the cheek and drew back slightly to look at him, her finger gently caressing his cheek.

"That's a relief," Harry replied in an attempt to lighten the mood.

She sighed and drew close to him once more. "And I know I'm clingy," she added quietly, "I'm sorry."

He couldn't help but grin. "Aw, don't be sorry, hon," he told her, stroking her hair, "I love it when you cling to me, after all."

She gave a small giggle, and he felt the tension flow out of her body. "Harry," she whispered quietly, not sounding as if she particularly expected a response.

The sound of her saying his name hit Harry hard as he remembered what Voldemort had said to him. He pulled her away from him, and she looked down at him confusedly.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," he said, feeling guiltier by the second, "When Lucius and Voldemort...when you called for me."

For a moment, she looked puzzled, but then realization flooded her eyes. "Oh, Harry, don't you dare be sorry," she told him, putting her finger to his lips as he opened them to repeat his apology.

"Don't you dare," she repeated, "There was nothing you could've done."

Harry shook his head. "There were lots of things I could've done," he replied, "I couldn't even help you when you needed me. I don't deserve you."

He turned away from her, remembering the desperation that had been in her voice when she cried out his name. And he hadn't been there – he should have been there. He...

"Stop it, Harry," she said quietly, turning his head back to face her, "You can't save everybody, you know."

"Yeah, I kinda noticed that when Sirius died," Harry replied dryly.

She gave a small sigh. "Harry, I love you even though you can't manage to save everybody in the world. Call me crazy, but..."

She trailed off, and he gave a weak smile. She returned it, running her fingers through his hair with a thoughtful look on her face. He reached up and gently pulled her down to him, and she willingly obliged, meeting his lips with her own. In a moment, Harry forgot about any arguments they might have had – she was kissing him much too urgently to allow him to think of anything else. He eagerly returned her kisses, not allowing her to pull away in the least. Not that she tried – in fact, she showed no signs of wanting to pull away anytime soon.

"Oh, honestly!" a shrill voice exclaimed, causing them to hurriedly break apart.

Silver turned to the nurse with a guilty look on her face, blushing slightly. A middle-aged, plump woman was glaring at them disapprovingly with her hands on her hips.

"At least he's kissing you back this time," she commented as she walked up.

"He's _what_?" came Snape's concerned voice.

Within a moment he, too, was glaring at them. "Off the bed with you," he growled at Silver, firmly pointing to beside him.

Blushing even more, Silver hopped off of the bed to stand at his side.

"This time?" Harry asked interestedly, wondering exactly how much he had missed out on in his doze.

"She was all over you while you were unconscious, too," the nurse confirmed.

Harry smirked at Silver, who hid her face in her hands. "I was concerned," she defended.

"Hmph," the nurse replied disbelievingly.

Harry merely grinned mischievously at Silver, delighting in knowing that he was so...loved, for lack of a better term.

......................

**Note:** Yeah, kind of a weird spot to break off, but I wanted to get a chapter in before I went to spend the night at my friend's house. Hope you enjoyed!


	8. Rest?

**Comments: **My my, but everybody is just dying to hear Harry's conversation with Snape, aren't they? I'm thinking next chapter...yep. Just so you all have something to look forward to. –grin-

**Chapter 8 – Rest?**

"Just rest, now," Mrs. Weasley said, yet again.

"I think he gets it, mum," Fred volunteered from beside the bed that Mrs. Weasley was tucking Harry into.

"Yeah, and if you tighten those sheets any more, you're going to cut off his circulation," George added.

"Nonsense," Mrs. Weasley replied, "He's not nearly snug enough."

"Actually," Harry began, feeling as if she was strapping his arms to his sides by tucking the blankets in, "I'm fine..."

She simply shook her head and continued to make sure that every inch of him was 'tucked in' before standing up and beaming at him.

"Just rest, now," she said again.

Harry managed a nod, feeling as if he had been mummified. The twins and Ginny, whom were currently in the room with him, held back their laughter until Mrs. Weasley had left the room. Then, they exploded.

"Snug, Harry?" Fred inquired cheerily.

"No," Harry grunted in reply, attempting to loosen himself.

"...no," came Silver's voice suddenly, along with a giggle, "I really didn't-"

She stopped short as she appeared in the doorway to his room, being followed by Snape. Both of them looked nothing short of utterly amused to see Harry entrapped in his own bed.

"Harry," Silver finally managed, looking as if she was holding in a laugh, "What happened?"

"Our mum happened," Ginny volunteered.

Silver let out a small giggle as she walked up and began to free Harry from his trap. "And none of you thought to free him?" she inquired.

"Oh, we thought of it," George assured her.

She giggled as she pulled Harry free, allowing the circulation to run in his arms again. He grinned his thanks, and she kissed him on the forehead, sitting down at the edge of his bed and lacing her fingers through his.

"How're you feeling, sweetie?" she asked, giving him a warm smile.

"Fine, actually," Harry replied, "I don't see why everyone's making such a big deal out of it."

"Harry," Silver replied patiently, "You ran into the kitchen and passed out mumbling to yourself. Remus was so frightened that he got Dumbledore's permission to take you to St. Mungo's. You were out for two and a half days. I think that's a big deal."

"Maybe," he admitted grudgingly, "But I feel fine now."

"I'm sure you do, but you're still going to rest today," she replied, "At least until Dumbledore comes to talk to you. Alright?"

"Alright," he agreed, "When's Dumbledore coming?"

Silver turned to look at Snape questioningly, and he responded at once. "Two hours," he said shortly, "And he wanted you to get some sleep."

"I've slept for-"Harry began, but he was cut off, both by Silver's warning squeeze on his hand and Snape's words.

"Well you're going to sleep longer," Snape growled, glaring at him.

Harry reluctantly nodded, and Silver beamed her approval at him. "Everyone out," she directed to the three Weasleys in the room.

The twins and Ginny filed out, muttering something about going and finding out where Ron and Hermione were snogging.

"Hermione's here?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes," Silver confirmed, "She came this morning, after Ron brought you breakfast."

"Oh," Harry answered dumbly.

"G'night, sweetie," she said quietly, bending to place a quick kiss on his lips.

"You have to leave?" he asked in disappointment when she pulled away.

Her eyes betrayed her nervousness even before she spoke. "Yes...Dumbledore wants to see me before he does you," she explained quietly.

"What for?" Harry asked tentatively.

He glanced at Snape, who was pointedly looking the other way. Upon transferring his gaze back to Silver, he saw that she looked hesitant to speak.

"It's probably nothing important," she said finally, "I'll send Remus up to keep you company, okay?"

Before Harry could argue with her to let him know what it was, she had gotten up and slipped out the door, with Snape closing it behind her. Frowning, he waited impatiently for Lupin to come up and tell him what was really going on. After a good amount of time, Harry heard footsteps approaching, most definitely not Lupin's. He realized that it must be Silver and Dumbledore – and most likely Snape, and listened as they passed and finally paused and entered what must have been Sirius' room. A minute or so later, Lupin entered, looking worried. Harry noticed that there was not a sound in the house.

"What's going on?" he demanded immediately.

Looking vaguely amused, Lupin responded. "Between you and Silver, things are getting a bit tense, is all."

"What's happening to Silver?" Harry answered immediately.

Lupin gave a small sigh. "Nothing she's going to like," he replied, "Dumbledore's convinced that she's pregnant, for some reason or another. He thinks they might have performed a memory charm on her, since she's denying it, but...well, we'll find out today, won't we?"

"What do you mean?" Harry replied, "What's he going to do to her?"

"Just a charm to see if she's pregnant or not," Lupin said, "It's relatively easy to perform, and nearly always accurate, but it's known to cause pain afterwards, whether emotional or physical I don't know."

"If she says she's not, she's not," Harry said impatiently, making as if to go and tell Dumbledore so, "Dumbledore needs to-"

"Do what he thinks is right," Lupin answered, pushing Harry back down, "And you're not going to interfere."

Harry rolled his eyes defiantly, glaring at Lupin.

"Listen, Harry," Lupin began, "I know that it's hard to believe that Silver could-"

He stopped talking abruptly as the sounds of a very angry voice reached their ears.

"You _what_?" Snape roared at the top of his lungs.

A few moments of silence, during which Harry supposed Dumbledore was speaking, and Snape spoke again.

"No!" he bellowed loudly, "She will not be harmed! I refuse!"

A loud thump followed his pronouncement and Harry was betting that Snape had taken his anger out on whatever object was closest to him.

"I said _no_!" came Snape's voice again, "Look at her! She's terrified! I will not allow it, I will not!"

Again came silence, and then the creaking open of a door. Shortly afterwards, Dumbledore's last words could be heard.

"...as she trusts you more, I will allow you to perform the charm, Severus. I will be waiting downstairs – you have an hour and a half left, I believe."

The door clicked shut, and Harry could hear Dumbledore passing by his room.

"Why doesn't he talk to me while Silver and-"he began, but he stopped as his question was answered by the sound of Silver's voice in the other room.

"No! I don't want it!" she cried.

"I don't want you to have it, child, but it must be done," Snape answered, exasperation evident in his voice.

"_I'm not pregnant_!" Silver yelled.

"Hold still!" Snape replied, sounding annoyed.

"No!" was her defiant response.

"If I have to petrify you, I will!" Snape threatened.

This succeeded in bringing forth what sounded to be a river of tears. "I d...don't...want...t...to...get...h...h...hurt!" Silver sobbed.

"I don't know from firsthand experience, but I imagine it would hurt more giving birth than undergoing a pregnancy test," Snape retorted.

Silver only sobbed more. Harry wasn't so sure he wanted to be in the room, then, after all. The topic made him slightly uncomfortable. After a few minutes, her sobs subsided considerably.

"Are you ready now?" Snape inquired.

Harry couldn't hear the answer, it was so soft-spoken.

"Very well," Snape said, "Stand like that....no, relax, child. Good, now stay like that."

Harry didn't hear anything for a moment, except for an odd zapping noise. Then, suddenly, Silver cried out.

"No, don't move!" Snape instructed.

"It...hurts!" Silver protested, sounding as if she was gasping for breath.

"It's almost over," Snape answered, "You're doing fine, just a few more seconds..."

A popping noise and a small cry from Silver signaled the end of the charm.

"Ah!" Snape cried suddenly, "What are you trying to do, knock me over?"

Instead of replying, muffled sobs could be heard.

"It's over now, child," Snape told her, "And – you're not."

"I...t...told...y...you," Silver sobbed accusingly.

"I believed you," Snape defended himself, "It wasn't my idea."

"I k...know," Silver managed through sniffles, "I'm s...sorry."

"Don't be sorry for something you haven't done," Snape answered in a sensible tone, "Now, are you hurt?"

"Kind of," Silver answered in a small voice, "It's hard to explain. I just feel bad."

Snape seemed to think a while before answering. "I suppose chocolate ice cream would help?" he suggested, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Mmm, I think it would," Silver agreed.

"Just wait here, then," Snape replied, "You need some rest, too."

"Alright," she agreed sweetly.

Harry heard Snape's robes swishing by a few second later, and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He heard Lupin do the same, and the two exchanged a relieved glance. It sure would've complicated things if Silver had been bearing a child.

"That's a relief," Harry commented quietly.

"Yes," Lupin agreed fervently, nodding.

Harry gave a sigh, and suddenly Lupin seemed to remember something. "You're supposed to be sleeping!" he hissed.

"Yeah," Harry said boredly.

"Get to sleep!" Lupin answered, "Or Dumbledore will have my head!"

"Fine," Harry retorted, "But you have to stay with me and be bored out of your mind."

"How will you know, if you're asleep?" Lupin replied mischievously.

Harry glared at him before closing his eyes. Much to his surprise, he was much more tired than he had thought himself to be, and it only took him a few minutes, during which he might have heard Lupin chuckling quietly, to fall asleep.

He awoke to the sound of Dumbledore's ever-so-cheery voice.

"Morning, Harry, wake up now," Dumbledore was saying as he took a seat in an armchair he had conjured up for himself next to Harry's bed.

"It's morning?" Harry asked in astonishment as he opened his eyes, peering towards his window curiously.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Figure of speech, Harry, figure of speech," he answered amusedly.

"Oh," Harry said, giving a sheepish grin as he propped himself up, "So, I suppose you want to know what happened."

"That would be nice, to start with," Dumbledore agreed amiably.

"Right," Harry agreed, and without further ado, he began to tell Dumbledore every detail of what had happened.

Amazing how he had gotten used to doing so.

......................

**Note:** Yeah, I know it was short. But, well, I want to start on Harry's talk with Snape and all, and if I tried to fit that into this chapter, it would end up being a bazillion pages long. So instead of thinking up some half-baked idea to fill space, I decided to stop it here. –guiltyness-


	9. Truth or Dare

**Chapter 9 – Truth or Dare**

Harry leaned back against the garden gate, a smile on his face as she watched Silver attempt to ride Charisma for the first time. There was no doubt the animal was big enough, the only problem was Snape's protectiveness. Harry thought it was rather amusing to watch him and Silver bicker back and forth, and so did everyone else, who was sitting to either side of him. Even Dumbledore stood by the entrance to the yard, his eyes glittering as he watched the going-ons.

"I know how to get on a horse!" Silver exclaimed exasperatedly.

"This _thing_ is not a horse, and I won't have you jumping up on it's back and falling!" Snape retorted, equal annoyance evident in his voice.

"She won't make me fall!" Silver protested, "I've already told her what's-"

"I don't care what you've told her," Snape argued, "Animals are unpredictable and that's that!"

He pointed an accusing finger at Charisma as he spoke, and Harry could have sworn the animal rolled its eyes.

"Fine," Silver said, stepping away from the giant hippogriff, "You get on her, then."

"I never said I wanted to do that," Snape began irritably.

"Good, then," Silver replied, taking a running step forwards before vaulting herself off of the ground and onto Charisma's back.

For a moment, Snape stood stock still, watching as Charisma looked around the yard with obvious boredom, not minding Silver's weight on her back in the least. Then, he seemed to realize that Silver had undermined him, and went nearly ballistic.

"Fool child!" he exploded, "I told you not to do that! If that animal had-"

"She didn't," Silver interrupted.

"-hurt you, there's no telling what could have happened! You could have broken your head, or gotten a concussion, or-"

"I didn't," Silver said again.

"-even gotten killed! What would I have had done then? You do realize that you could have-"

"I didn't."

"-hurt everyone around you with one foolish act, and you-"

"I love you," Silver interrupted sweetly.

This time, Snape's mouth stopped moving, and he looked at her with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"What does that have to do with anything?" he finally inquired, sounding very curious.

"Nothing, I just do," Silver replied.

Snape blinked a few times, as if trying to sort out how his yelling at her had turned into her telling him that she loved him.

"Well, get on with your riding then," he said finally, waving his hand exasperatedly in her direction.

Beaming at him and blowing him a kiss that made him make a face at her, she squeezed her legs into Charisma's sides. Shaking his head, Snape turned to head inside. Lupin cleared his throat loudly, making everyone, including Harry, turn and look at him. He gave Harry an unmistakable urging look, telling him to go along with Snape while he could. Gulping, Harry got up and trotted inside after Snape, ignoring the curious looks everyone was giving him.

Once in, he listened carefully for signs of where the Potions master had gone. The creaking of the top stair let him know that Snape was headed to his bedroom...or rather, his potions lab that he just happened to sleep in. Harry vaulted up after him, and, upon seeing that his door was closed, knocked on it. As he waited for a response, he mentally summed up his courage. He was going to talk to Snape – just talk. He had no reason to be worried about the fact that there were no witnesses around. After all, everyone would come running in if he screamed for help – right?

"What are you doing back so soon?" Snape's voice demanded, "Did that fool animal throw you, because if it did, I'll personally strangle it until-"

"Uh, it's me," Harry interrupted, feeling very awkward.

"Oh." There was evident disappointment in Snape's voice. "What do you want?"

"To come in?" Harry ventured, although the door might have proved a good barrier in case Snape had decided to throw any curses at him.

"Fine," Snape snapped, his voice sounding no nearer to the door than it had previously.

Tentatively, Harry pushed the door open. The room, which he had once caught sight of being filled with what looked to be a mini Potions lab, was now nearly empty due to Snape and Silver's move, which would take place the next day. The only remaining items were a large black trunk in the corner, topped by a cauldron, a bed, and an armchair positioned directly next to it. And then the very old desk and matching chair that Snape was currently taking residence in. He appeared to be writing a letter of some sort. Snape cleared his throat pointedly, and Harry snapped back to attention.

"Uh," he said, "Well, I just wanted to talk to you..."

"I figured that," Snape retorted, "It would help if you mentioned what about, don't you think?"

"Yeah..." Harry said, stretching out the word as long as he could to avoid talking to Snape.

"Out with it, Potter!" Snape snapped irritably.

"Alright," Harry said, taking a deep breath, "Well, uh, Silver."

Snape immediately made as to get out of his chair. "What's happened to her?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing," Harry replied quickly, "It's just me. And Silver. Together."

He was certain that he must be making it very clear to Snape what he meant by this time, but Snape looked nothing short of annoyed. "For Merlin's sake, Potter, try a complete sentence!" he exclaimed exasperatedly.

Harry took a deep breath. "I want to marry Silver," he announced.

"_WHAT_?" Snape roared, jumping up and grabbing Harry very nearly around the neck.

"Not...now," Harry choked quickly, attempting to push Snape away, "Someday."

Snape's grip didn't loosen up. "Explain yourself," he hissed, glaring at him intensely.

"Can't...talk...choking...me," Harry gagged, still trying to push him back.

Finally getting the picture, Snape released Harry, although he looked very ready to strangle him, should there be a need. With a stiff motion of his arm, he gestured to the chair he had previously been sitting in. Harry obediently took a seat, and Snape began to pace the room.

"Well?" he demanded.

"I...I was at the Dursleys," Harry began, figuring he should start from the beginning, "And I was learning how to drive, and I stole Dudley's car."

"What does Dudley have to do with Silver?" Snape demanded.

Harry was very sure that Snape hadn't a clue who Dudley was, but he decided not to comment. "I'm starting from the beginning," he defended himself.

"Well, hurry on with it," Snape snapped in reply, continuing to pace.

"I was driving down the town roads," Harry continued, but, as he had expected, Snape interrupted yet again.

"You were breaking the law!" he cried triumphantly, pointing a finger at him and coming to a stop, "You don't have a license!"

"Can I just keep going?" Harry retorted.

Looking thoughtful for a moment, Snape finally nodded, beginning to pace once more.

"And I came across this shop...with engagement rings. So I went inside to look at them, and this creepy old guy told me that he knew I was going to marry Silver. But I had never really thought about it. I mean, a family..."

Harry trailed off, his thoughts wandering once again to what it would mean to marry Silver. Snape regarded him for a moment with traces of what might be considered pity, but they vanished before Harry could even be sure he saw it.

"Continue," Snape said quietly.

"And so I went home, and I thought about it," Harry continued obediently, "And I realized that I did want it."

Snape stopped his pacing to look at him, and Harry continued before he could be contradicted.

"And I know I'm young, but I'm not planning on asking her tomorrow or anything. I just know that I want to one day, because I could never be without her. And I keep thinking about it – all the time. So I figured I should, well, get your opinion. Because you're like...her father."

At Harry's last comment, Snape froze in place and teetered unsteadily on the spot before turning to stare at him. His expression was by no means welcoming. His eyes were cold and hard, and his jaw was set in a firm line.

"Do you realize what you're asking of me?" he demanded finally.

"For you to say it's okay?" Harry ventured uncertainly.

"No," Snape whispered, his whisper every bit as threatening as if he had been yelling at the top of his lungs.

He turned to pace once more, even faster than before, and Harry watched him curiously. Finally, Snape stopped once more and began to speak with his back to him.

"I'm not a man of many relationships," he stated, some sense of dry humor in his voice, "But I care about her, Potter. And she's mine. She'd try to do anything I told her to – and you know it. And damn you, Potter, you want to take her from me!"

He whirled around on Harry so suddenly that Harry nearly fell out of his chair.

"Why should I give her to you?" Snape hissed, his breath hot on Harry's face.

"Because I love her," Harry replied instantly, a bit surprised at himself for the quickness of his response.

Snape drew away, turning his back to Harry once more. Harry nervously righted himself in the chair, waiting for Snape's response. Finally, he got it.

"She's mine until graduation," he announced.

"I wasn't exactly planning on marrying her while we were still in school," Harry replied wryly, thinking of himself and Silver getting married one day during Potions.

"Good," Snape declared, turning to look at Harry calculatingly.

Sensing that Snape was figuring out something important, Harry stayed quiet.

"You're going to have to start getting her ready," Snape announced suddenly, beginning to pace once more, "You know her, she'll just about have a heart attack if you spring it on her suddenly. You'll need to hint about it, maybe even talk about it directly. She'll cry or run away, of course, but she'll come back after she talks to me. And, of course, there's no way you can propose to her the way you are now."

"What do you mean, the way I am now?" Harry interrupted.

Snape gave a snort of laughter. "You can't even control your temper, Potter, how do you expect to live with a temperamental woman for the rest of your life?"

Harry frowned, but said nothing. He thought he had been getting better...okay, so maybe not, but what right did Snape have to comment on that?

"I assume you've talked with Remus?" Snape inquired suddenly.

Harry nodded, and that seemed to be enough for Snape.

"Get out of my room!" Snape commanded suddenly, as if Harry had entered without permission.

Immediately Harry jumped up from the chair, not wanting to get on Snape's bad side since he had currently made it through the meeting without being hexed, injured, or threatened. He was at the door when Snape's voice called him back.

"And Harry – if you hurt her, I'll kill you. No exceptions."

"Kay," Harry agreed as he bolted out of the room.

He was in the hallway when he realized that Snape had called him by his first name. He froze on the spot, alternating between going back and informing Snape that he had done so and pretending like it never happened. He finally decided on the latter. He trudged down the staircase, hearing footsteps echo through the house from somebody in quite a hurry, it seemed. As he reached the bottom of the staircase, he found out who that was. Silver rounded the corner at a run, smacking into him with quite some force for such a petite girl. Harry felt himself falling backwards, and grabbed onto her for support. Bad idea.

"Oh," he groaned as he landed on the stairs behind him, with Silver sprawled halfway over his chest, and the other half on the stairs.

"Oh no, Harry, did I hurt you?" she exclaimed.

He groaned again in response, and she made a soft noise of concern, gently stroking his cheek.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," she murmured softly, kissing him lightly.

As she drew away, he stopped her, holding her face simply inches from his. She looked down at him both curiously and concernedly, and smiled as he mimicked her cheek-stroking motion. How little she knew of what went on concerning her behind her back. And how much he loved her for it at the moment. Giving her a slightly mischievous grin, he pulled her to him for a kiss. No sooner than it had begun, it ended.

"For heaven's sake," came Snape's drawling voice, "Get off of him."

Silver reluctantly drew away, looking up the stairs at Snape. Harry tilted his head back as well, hoping that this wouldn't change Snape's relatively good mood towards him. Suddenly, from the base of the stairs, Harry heard stifled laughter. He, Silver, and Snape all turned back to see Lupin, Ron, and Hermione giving them amused looks.

"Gee, can't you guys even wait 'til you get all the way upstairs?" Ron teased.

The comment succeeded in making Snape give a derisive snort as he swept past them all, appearing wholly unconcerned as he made his way into the living room. To Harry's disappointment, Silver appeared ready to go. Before she did, however, she leaned down and whispered into his ear.

"Love you, sweetie."

Without waiting for an answer, she unlatched herself from him and darted into the living room after Snape. Harry grinned as he picked himself up off of the stairs, looking after her a bit wistfully. Lupin cleared his throat pointedly, bringing Harry out of his reverie.

"Erm...Mr. Weasley is outside," he said hintingly.

"Oh," Harry agreed quickly, "Right. Uh, I had to talk to him about..."

He glanced at Ron and Hermione, who looked confused. "...electricity," he finished, "Yeah, electricity. Wanna come with me, Moony? Oh no, Ron, no need for you to come...you just stay with Hermione and snuggle or whatever."

Ron shot him a death look, which he pointedly pretended not to see as he and Lupin made their way outside. Sure enough, when they arrived, Mr. Weasley was waiting, perhaps a bit anxiously, a corner of the yard whilst Fred, George, and Ginny stayed at the other end, crowded together and looking at something that Harry assumed one of the twins was holding.

"So..." Lupin prompted once they had reached Mr. Weasley.

"Well," Harry said, "He told me that Silver was his, and he didn't want to give her away."

Their facial expressions both dimmed a bit.

"And he said that I'd better not hurt her, I need to change my attitude, and I can't marry her at least until after we graduate...which is what I was planning on anyway. Oh, and he also said that when I try and discuss it with her and she runs away, she'll come back after he talks to her," he added.

Now they both looked as permanently shocked as Luna Lovegood.

"He said...yes?" Lupin gathered finally.

Harry couldn't resist looking smug. "He did," he agreed.

Mr. Weasley and Lupin both looked elated.

"Wonderful, Harry," Mr. Weasley said, "Just...wonderful."

They patted him on the back all the way back to the house, where he escaped under the pretense of rescuing Ron from Hermione. He trotted up the stairs in quite a good mood, pushing the door open to his and Ron's room and coming across a scene he definitely did not want to see. Ron and Hermione were passionately snogging – on _his_ bed. For a moment, he debated upon leaving them be, but no...they were on his bed. He cleared his throat loudly, and they jumped apart as if they had electrocuted each other.

"That's my bed," Harry complained, shooing them off of it with his hands.

"I...we...we didn't realize..." Hermione began, her face flushed.

"Yeah, yeah, just stay off of my bed," Harry retorted, grimacing at the rumpled sheets on his bed, "Now I have to change the sheets."

"Oh, it's not like we actually did anything!" Hermione protested.

"Trust me, you were doing something," Harry answered, making a face of disgust.

Ron began to look smug, but Hermione smacked him on the shoulder and he quickly got over it, pretending instead to look ashamed. Shaking his head, Harry exited the room. Honestly, his two best friends...he was going to knock before he entered any rooms, in the future. He entered the living room to find Snape reading a book on the couch and Silver asleep with her head on his shoulder. Snape glanced up briefly at Harry's entrance, but quickly returned to his book, giving no sign that he'd ever given Harry permission to so much as look at Silver. Harry took a seat across from them and stared at Silver. He had a lot to think about at the moment, and much of it had to do with her. He was interrupted, however, as Snape's eyes met his once more.

"What?" he demanded, looking at Silver as if trying to determine what was making Harry stare.

"She's beautiful," Harry answered, more to himself than to Snape.

Snape grunted his approval and returned to his book, and Harry had a feeling that things were going to turn out all right. For the time being, he was content to sit there and watch Silver as she slept – a hobby he somehow never tired of.

.....................................................................

Later that night, Harry, Silver, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny all sat in Harry and Ron's room, in a circle, on the floor. They had somehow all been suckered into consenting to play truth-or-dare by Fred and George.

"Alright," Fred proclaimed, "Me first."

Everyone groaned, and Fred and George snickered.

"Ginny," Fred said evilly, grinning at his little sister, "Truth or dare?"

Ginny squirmed, obviously not wanting to pick either. In the middle of the circle lay two vials: one was a large amount of water mixed with a small amount of Truth Serum, the other was a potion made especially for this game. If the user chose dare, they would have to drink a small sip of the potion, and if they didn't go through with the dare, they were rewarded with very painful purple and green blisters all over their body for the following three days.

"Truth," she finally sighed, cringing as she waited for Fred's question.

Fred and George exchanged a glance before Fred turned and grinned at Ginny, handing her the Truth Serum. She took a very small sip and set the vial down, and immediately a vacant look came to her eyes.

"Tell us, Ginny," Fred prompted, "Just what _have_ you been doing while you're locked up in your room every morning."

"Daydreaming about Dean," she replied promptly.

This proceeded to throw everyone into a fit of laughter until, suddenly, Ginny looked alert again. After seeing all of their faces, she groaned and buried hers in her hands.

"Alright, my turn!" she announced, "George, since I know this was your idea, truth or dare?"

"Dare," George replied, a bit too quickly.

Ginny seemed to think a moment before an evil grin not unlike the twins spread over her face. Beaming at him, she handed over the second potion. Looking slightly suspicious, he took a small sip before setting it down, gazing at her gamely.

"I dare you to kiss Fred," she announced, "On the lips."

"Again?" Ron groaned, "You do this every time – it's disgusting!"

"Sick," George moaned.

Ginny grinned at him and gestured to the vial, and George quickly leaned in and pecked a disgusted looking Fred so quickly that Harry wasn't even sure if they came into contact. But, he decided, it was better that way.

"Alright," George said, grimacing, "Ah...Silver, how about you? Truth or dare?"

Looking more than a bit scared, Silver hesitantly replied. "D..." she paused upon seeing the look on George's face. "Truth," she decided quickly.

George didn't pretend not to look disappointed. "Fine," he sighed, trusting the potion in her direction.

Giving it a distrustful look, she only let about a drop grace her lips, but it served it's purpose well. She began to look vacant, and Harry glared at George, as if daring him to ask anything that would embarrass her. Smirking at Harry, George began.

"Tell us, Silver," he said, "Your relationship with Harry surely isn't _all_ emotional – I mean, physical attraction's gotta come in somewhere."

Harry was delighted when Silver nodded.

"So, you think Harry's hot?" George asked.

She nodded once more.

"Sexy?" Fred volunteered cheerfully.

She was in mid-nod when the effects of the potion wore off. She immediately blushed a bright shade of read, putting her face in her hands as Ginny had.

"Not fair, you Weasleys, you!" she yelled, taking her hands away from her face, "That was more than one question – it was three!"

"Well, I-"George began, but he was cut off.

"George," she interrupted, glaring at him for all she was worth, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he replied immediately.

She looked much too triumphant. "Very well," she said, gesturing towards the potion.

Looking nervous, he took a sip. She stood up and motioned for him to follow her.

"This way, please," she instructed.

He looked more than scared as he followed her out of the room. After about a minute, they knew that Silver had come up with an excellent dare.

"NO WAY!" he yelled.

"Fine, get blisters," was Silver's reply.

"Aw, Silver, you're evil," George groaned.

"See you downstairs," she replied cheerfully.

She then appeared in the doorway, beaming. "Come on, guys," she said, giggling slightly, "But be quiet."

They all silently followed her downstairs, where George was lingering outside of the living room entryway.

"Do I have to?" he asked her pleadingly.

"Yep," she confirmed, "And remember, like you mean it."

She put a finger to her lips and motioned for everyone to watch as George walked sulkily into the living room, where all the adults sat, peacefully, for the most part. He walked up to a radio on the counter and turned it on, tuning it until it came to a classical music station. A few of the adults looked up in surprise, but nobody commented. Snape looked a bit annoyed, but continued to read. Harry wondered when he would run out of books to read.

George slowly made his way towards Snape, gathering what appeared to be a sense of purpose as he did so. Snape didn't look up as George approached, but he did when George reached out and snatched the book from his hands, snapping it shut and throwing it onto a nearby couch. Now all the adults were looking.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing?" Snape demanded.

George cringed momentarily, but at a soft clearing of the throat from Silver, regained his look of poise. He extended his hand towards Snape in a somewhat dignified manner, but his voice showed how strained he really was.

"My dearest...Sevvie," he choked, looking fearfully at Snape.

Snape appeared too shocked to say anything, but Harry saw him mouth the word 'Sevvie' in amazement.

"For years I have watched you from afar," George continued, now openly wincing, "And admired your...aw man..._beauty_. Now I can suppress my...feelings...no longer. Will you...dance with me?"

Everyone in the room looked seriously concerned for George's health, except for those watching from the entryway, all whom dissolved in laughter.

"Run, George!" Fred howled at his twin, while Snape looked as if he were preparing to hex him.

George did. He bolted from the room, giving Silver a dirty look as he did so. Silver nearly made it over to where Snape was sitting, still looking stunned, before she collapsed on the floor before him, rolling with laughter. Snape peered down at her interestedly.

"You had something to do with that," he decided.

"So...sorry," Silver gasped, "Had to...dare...oh...my...gosh...so...funny."

"I'm sure," Snape said wryly, "Now get me my book, you troublemaker."

Still giggling, Silver managed to get up and get Snape's book, having successfully stopped laughing by the time she did so. She presented it to him innocently, beaming at him as she handed it out. Raising an eyebrow at her and shaking his head, he took it back from her, flipping through it for the page he was at. Once he had apparently reached it, he glanced up at her over the edge.

"You're still here," he informed her.

"I am," she agreed.

They looked at each other for a moment before Snape suddenly drew the book to the side, just in time to avoid having it crushed as Silver enveloped him in a sudden hug. From over her shoulder, he looked slightly disgruntled, but altogether content with her display of affection.

"I'll be down for bed in a few minutes," she informed him as she drew away.

He nodded and returned to reading for a response.

Silver then skipped back to them with a gleeful exclamation of, "I bet George won't be wanting to play _that_ game for a while yet!"

As everyone adjourned upstairs, Silver abruptly and discreetly pulled Harry to the side, putting a finger to her lips as she led him down the hallway to Sirius' bedroom. He grinned at her as she led him inside and shut the door, looking slightly mischievous. She giggled as he pulled her into his arms, neither of them bothering to say anything. As he felt her hands run through his hair, however, he suddenly pulled away, giving her a smug look.

"You think I'm sexy," he informed her.

"Hush up," she replied, pulling him back to her.

He smiled as he kissed her, and she pulled away for a moment to look at him, smiling as well.

"Love you," he offered.

"Love you," was her reply.

They didn't speak again for a while, neither of them wanting to waste breath on something as useless as speaking when it wasn't necessary. Finally, Silver drew away slightly, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling. She was short of breath, but she wasn't alone on that one. Harry was surprised to find that they had somehow made it to the bed, but didn't comment. For a moment, they simply looked at each other, before she tightened her arm around his neck, and then stopped abruptly as her face drew nearer to his.

"I should go," she whispered softly, "Or he'll come looking for me."

"I don't doubt it," Harry replied amusedly, his voice almost as quiet as hers.

She smiled at him, and he returned it.

"G'night, sexy," she said teasingly.

He chuckled. "Night, beautiful," he replied.

She gave him one last kiss, not wholly devoid of passion, but noticeably toned down, and disappeared, leaving Harry to stretch out on the bed contentedly. Finally, he returned to his own room, buttoning his shirt as he went. When he entered, everyone gave him – and his messy hair – knowing looks. He simply smirked as he sat on his bed, feeling as if he had had a very full day.

..............................................................

**Note: **Hmm...I changed Harry's talk with Snape quite a bit from my original plan. Still, I think it's alright. Hopefully. I'm tired and I'm going to bed! 'Night!


	10. Shooting Stars and Sentimental Mush

**Chapter 10 – Shooting Stars and Sentimental Mush**

Harry lay, on his back, with his hands behind his head, gazing up at the night sky. He was only halfway paying as much attention to the stars right above him as to the girl right next to him. As he peered over at her, Silver suddenly gave a jump of delight, which was fairly amazing considering that she was laying on her back.

"Ooh, Harry, look!" she exclaimed, pointing upwards excitedly.

He didn't feel compelled to look away from her in the least, and therefore, he didn't. She turned to look at him, her eyes bright with excitement, and gave him a halfheartedly chiding look as she saw that he was looking at her.

"It was a shooting star, Harry," she explained.

"Oh," was his only reply.

She smiled at him and scooted closer, much to his delight. He wrapped an arm around her waist to ensure that she didn't move away, pulling her to him happily.

"Harry," she protested weakly against his chest, "I can't see the stars this way."

He reluctantly loosened his grip, but she seemed to have changed her mind, and snuggled closer to him instead. Grinning, he began to wrap his arms around her, but Lupin cleared his throat loudly from the porch, no doubt in warning. Silver tilted her head upwards to look at him, obviously having understood Lupin's warning, and gave him a mischievous smile. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one that interpreted Lupin's caution. Ron gave a derisive snort in their direction, and Fred and George made a great show of taking one large step over the two.

"Get off of Potter," Snape commanded grumpily from his own seat on the porch.

"I'm not on him, though," Silver protested.

"You may as well be," Snape retorted, "You're all over him."

"Fine," Silver sighed, reluctantly rolling away from him.

Harry definitely felt like protesting. It was their last night at home, and the first one since Snape and Silver moved out that he had spent with her. Weren't they at least allowed to cuddle? He glanced up towards the sky for about the second time during the hour they had spent there, and was surprised to find that it was actually pretty interesting. Stars dotted it at every angle, some of the brighter ones forming interesting shapes.

"Look," he said amusedly, pointing to a group of stars.

Silver obediently turned to where he pointed, and her expression quickly turned to that of one attempting to stifle giggles. She exchanged a gleeful look with him, and then they both turned their attention back to the stars. Harry had pointed out a group that looked to be an exact replica of a familiar looking, large, hooked nose. He hoped Snape hadn't looked.

As they lay there, Silver subtly snuck her way back into his arms, and he raised no protest or sign that they were doing any such thing. He realized that she seemed to be whispering things into the crook of his neck, and he quickly strained to hear.

"...so much, Harry," she sighed softly.

He found himself wishing that he had heard what she had just said.

"Silver," he whispered back.

Some more snuggling let him know that he had gotten her attention.

"I love you," he whispered quietly, "I want to be with you forever, you know."

It was the closest he had come to hinting about what he had come to regard as the 'm' word all summer.

"Me, too," she agreed, without so much as a moment's hesitation.

He raised his eyebrows at how easy it had been before cautiously continuing, attempting to remember the words of advice Mr. Weasley had been pouring out at him over the past couple of weeks.

"I could never be away from you," he ventured.

"Me either, Harry," she agreed, snuggling closer.

Harry figured that he had gone far enough for one night, and contentedly placed a kiss atop her head. She gave a small sigh of happiness, making Harry smile. As he held her, he felt her begin to relax even further, and he knew that within a short while she would be sound asleep. She had never been very good at staying up late, anyhow. Sure enough, in the short time lapse of only three minutes, she was fast asleep in his arms, and he was beginning to feel a bit drowsy himself. No sooner than he had closed his eyes than something nudged him painfully in the back, making him give a grunt of surprise.

"Out of my way, Potter," Snape demanded, obviously not caring that Harry was very comfortable in his current position.

Harry reluctantly loosened his arms around her and watched as Snape levitated her up and began to direct her towards the house. Giving a yawn, he decided that his best bet would be to follow before he woke up, alone, in the backyard, the next morning.

The sound of footsteps brought Harry to a startled state of wakefulness the next morning. He grumbled halfheartedly as he fumbled for his glasses. Once he had slid them on, he glanced at the clock. He would have had to get up in another fifteen minutes, anyway. As he got out of bed, he glanced over at Ron, who was snoring loudly and incessantly. He threw a pillow over his friend's face to muffle the noise as he changed, but it didn't help much. In fact, he worried that Ron might be loudly suffocating. After pulling on his shirt, he reached over and whapped Ron firmly with the pillow, along with a verbal command to get up.

"You're like a slave driver," Ron groaned as he rolled over.

"Just get up," Harry retorted.

Mumbling, Ron did so, and Harry impatiently waited for him to dress. Finally, Ron managed to get ready, although he looked as if he might topple over into a dead sleep at any moment, and Harry reached for the doorknob.

"Wait!" Ron suddenly shouted, as if it were the most important thing in the world.

Harry jumped away from the door as if it were going to eat him, looking curiously at Ron.

"Uh, I just thought you should know" Ron said, looking very uncomfortable as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Hermione and Iâ€we made up, you see."

"I kind of figured when I caught you two snogging on my bed," Harry replied sarcastically.

"Er...yeah," Ron agreed, looking vaguely amused, "But I just, uh, followed your advice, and...well, she liked it."

Harry gave a snort of laughter. "Well, that was obvious," he commented as he reached for the door once more, "You're just lucky you two will never get in trouble for snogging, cause she's the Head Girl this year."

He heard Ron chuckle from behind them as the two lugged their things downstairs. It wasn't any shock that Hermione had made Head Girl, and everyone had gotten used to the idea quickly, teasing her about her initials standing for 'Head Girl' instead of 'Hermione Granger'. As Harry had expected, everyone excepting Fred and George were already up. Of course, they had no reason to be, as they were closing their shop for the day.

"Why does everyone get up so early?" Ron inquired loudly as he and Harry entered the full living room.

"Self-discipline?" Hermione suggested pertly from the couch she was sharing with Ginny.

"Har har har," Ron answered, taking a seat next to her and putting an arm around her.

Looking very content, Hermione leaned into the embrace. Harry looked around for Silver and found, to his dismay, that she wasn't there. He looked questioningly at Snape, who met his gaze with an annoyed glare of his own.

"Calm down, Potter, she's getting ready," he huffed, sounding almost offended that Harry was impatient to see her.

Truthfully, Harry felt a bit out of place without her. He took a seat in an armchair that practically engulfed him as he sat down, sulkily waiting for Silver to appear. It took him a moment to realize that Snape was doing the same thing, except that he was hiding his face behind a book. It wasn't long before he heard her voice echoing through the house, however, causing a smile to come to his face before he even saw her.

"Sev!" she called out, making Snape give an exasperated noise from behind his book, "Where are those hairclips you bought me? I could've sworn I put them in my bag, but I've looked and looked and...oh, good morning Harry...I can't find them anywhere!"

At her greeting, she had appeared in the doorway, her hair flowing over her shoulders in shiny – probably due to their wetness – ringlets. She shot Harry a brief smile before fixing Snape with a questioning look. Snape looked to be debating whether or not to tell her where they were, when a tapping noise at the window made everyone look.

"My owl," Snape commented from his chair.

"Hades!" Silver exclaimed gleefully, running to the window and unlatching it.

A large brown owl swept into the room, seeming to move both silently and effortlessly through the air. It stopped at Snape's chair, extending a leg that held a very official-looking letter. For some reason, this seemed to excite Silver immensely.

"Open it!" she urged, bouncing up and down in front of his chair.

He raised an eyebrow at her amusedly and opened the envelope with deliberate slowness. Then, shooting another look at her, he began to withdraw it from the now open envelope as slow as he possibly could.

"Oh, stop!" Silver exclaimed exasperatedly, "Open it, please!"

"I'm opening it," he insisted stubbornly, still moving rather slowly as he unfolded it and began to read.

Silver bounded over to Harry, her face alight.

"Harry," she murmured excitedly, taking his hands in hers and dragging him up from his chair as she bounced around incessantly.

Harry didn't ask what it was, for she wasn't paying that much attention to him anyway. Other than squeezing his hands tightly and dragging him a few steps every now and then, her attention was focused solely on Snape, who looked only mildly interested in the apparently important letter. Finally, he folded it up and slid it back into the envelope. Silver gave Harry's hands one last squeeze and jumped towards Snape, who looked up at her emotionlessly.

"Well?" she demanded breathlessly.

"The papers," he said simply.

She gave a squeal of delight and snatched the envelope from him, yanking the letter out and then throwing the envelope in his direction. Looking amused, he set the envelope down in his lap and watched her. Her eyes traveled anticipatingly over the paper, and she was nearly shaking with excitement. She gave a whoop of happiness and jumped into the air as she finished reading, enveloping first Harry, since he was closest, in a hug, and then running over and tackling Snape.

"Good heavens child, calm down," he chided, patting her back and looking as if he were trying to avoid her wet curls.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" she replied sternly, although she was smiling, "There's no hope of them getting me now, not legally, don't you see? I'm _yours_."

"Ah," Lupin commented suddenly, "The custody papers."

"Yes," Snape agreed over Silver's shoulder, for she was currently squeezing him in a hug once more.

Lupin nodded and pretended to be interested in something else immediately, as did everyone else in the room, excepting Harry. He watched with a kind of fascination as Silver murmured incomprehensible words, no doubt of utter contentment, into Snape's shoulder, and he listened without saying anything back except for an occasional, "Yes, child." Finally, Silver broke away, beaming down at him. He seemed to be trying very hard not to let the corners of his mouth curve upwards.

"The hairclips are in my cauldron," he announced, as if this would be a perfectly normal place for storing hairclips.

"Thank you," she breathed, turning around and immediately enveloping Harry in a hug.

"Come with me, Harry," she proposed, taking his hand as she dragged him from the room.

Not that he was complaining, of course, but it caught him a bit by surprise to suddenly be dragged up a flight of stairs by his overly excited girlfriend.

"Oh, Harry," she sighed as she pushed open the door to Snape's room, and began digging through his cauldron, which apparently had quite a few things in it, "I'm so _happy_! I mean, it's official and all, and my mom can't get me – well, she's in Azkaban right now of course, but no doubt dear old Tom will break them out soon."

"Why do you call him that?" Harry asked suddenly.

She withdrew a pair of ivory hairclips adorned with rubies as she turned to look at him. "Tom?" she asked confusedly.

"Yeah," Harry said, "I mean, you're not afraid to say Voldemort, but you act like Tom and Voldemort are two separate people."

Her mouth settled into a slight frown as she dug around for something in Snape's desk, finally withdrawing a mirror and propping it up as she began to pull a small piece of her hair into the small clip.

"Well, it's almost like they are," she replied quietly, "Tom is the Voldemort I've known all my life. He's the one who taunted me when I was young, the one that I mocked and was rude to. But Voldemort – he's the one who worries me half to death when he takes you and Sev away, and the one who...who did...things...to me. I feel safer calling him Tom."

"What did he do to you?" Harry asked quietly.

He had been wanting to ask all summer, but whenever the topic had even been so much as approached, Silver had either remembered that she had to go tell Snape something, changed the subject, or decided that she needed a nap. Now, he couldn't help but ask, not when she was finally talking about it without running. Her eyes flew away from the mirror and the second clip fell from her fingers, bouncing softly onto the desk. She looked up at him, and he realized that her lower lip was trembling.

"No, sweetie, I'm sorry," he said quickly in an attempt to stop her from crying, "I shouldn't have asked like that, with no warning, I just-"

He was too late. Her face crumpled and a sob escaped her. Silently smacking himself over the head, he held out his arms for her. Without hesitation, she ran into them, sobbing as if her heart was going to break.

"Don't cry," Harry murmured, "I love you."

His words seemed to have some effect on her, as her sobs quieted considerably. He led her over to the bed, sitting down on it with her. He waited, his arms around her, for her tears to stop altogether. She shook in his arms, and he could feel his shirt becoming soaked with her tears. He decided that he really needed to think before he spoke.

"It...it was horrible," she choked suddenly into his shirt, "They took me into a room – a cold room, Harry."

She shivered as she spoke, and he drew her nearer to him.

"Voldemort...he tried to get me to tell him things about you," she said softly, "And about what I had told Dumbledore. He tried Crucio, but...well, I'm still pretty resilient because of my mother and all. He got frustrated and left, and told Lucius to...to degrade me until I broke, basically. Every time I wouldn't answer...every time, Harry..."

She trailed off, shaking uncontrollably.

"You don't have to tell me," Harry said quietly.

She didn't appear to hear him as she continued. "...he just took off a piece of my clothes. Like it was nothing, Harry, like I wasn't even...like I had no dignity. And...I didn't. I couldn't fight him, Harry. I was so weak already from the Cruciatus that I just...I couldn't. And then, when he got past my clothes, it was touching – and threats. Voldemort came in and joined in for a bit, but they got tired of me after a while and they took me through that town. They made me speak, Harry, and I saw you dead, and...it hurt..."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she was clinging to him tightly. He gently rubbed her back, letting her know that it was okay.

"And they put me there...I suppose until they felt like using me next. They...they just"

She burst into fresh tears, and he held her. "I couldn't stop them, Harry, even when I tried!" she sobbed, "I was so...so...helpless."

Harry felt a bit helpless himself, at the moment. He wasn't sure he had wanted to know all that, because, while it made him want to beat the tar out of Voldemort and Lucius, it also made him realize just why Silver had been so jumpy over the summer – anyone would be if they feared that at any moment they might be snatched up and have _that_ done to them. And he was wholly unsure of what to say to comfort her. For once, he was glad when Snape's figure appeared in the doorway.

"What is going on here?" he demanded, looking from the sobbing Silver to the confused Harry suspiciously.

"Uh...she just...um" Harry stammered, not knowing what to say that wouldn't make Silver cry more.

"I...w...was...so...s...scared!" Silver wailed suddenly.

Realization passed over Snape's face quickly and he quickly stepped forwards and reached for Silver, ignoring Harry completely. She flung her arms around his neck and he picked her up, cradling her as one would a small child after they were hurt.

"There now," he said gruffly, gently swaying back and forth on the spot, "You're safe now."

"I...k...know," she sobbed, "I just...just"

She trailed off incomprehensibly, still sobbing.

"I know," Snape assured her, "But there's no need to cry, or be scared. You're fine."

Slowly, she sniffled up her tears, giving Harry the impression that she and Snape had had the conversation many times before. Snape waited for a good while after she stopped before gently lowering her to the ground. She looked up at him, and he at her.

"Go downstairs, child," he said, "Granger wants to see you about some Arithmancy rubbish and Remus keeps blabbering on about a moonstone of sorts."

Silver nodded and obediently left the room. Snape didn't say anything, and motioned for Harry to do the same. The sound of Silver's footsteps on the stairs made him finally speak.

"Why did she tell you?" he demanded furiously, as if Harry had beaten it out of her.

"I...well, I asked her, but I took it back right away because she started to cry," Harry admitted.

"She wasn't ready," Snape hissed, "Why do you think she hasn't told you yet?"

"She just did," Harry pointed out.

"You _asked_," Snape replied irritably, "You know she hates to refuse you asking – and don't tell me you think she was ready from the way she was shaking. You'd think there was a bloody blizzard!"

Harry found Snape's analogy a bit amusing, but refrained from smiling with difficulty.

"Er...well, I didn't know, so I didn't know it was so bad," he reasoned.

"Next time you don't know something, be content to leave it that way!" Snape snapped in reply, turning on his heel and then, amazingly, pausing only a moment before spinning once more, causing himself to do a complete circle that was rather comical.

"Get out of my room!" he snapped, as if he had just realized that Harry was in there.

Harry nodded and walked out behind Snape, whom apparently had no use for his room, but simply didn't want Harry in there. The two entered the living room at the same time, each searching Silver out. She was standing by Lupin, rocking back and forth on her heels as she looked at a something he was showing her.

"...and I want you to have it," Lupin finished proudly.

"Really?" Silver exclaimed delightedly, throwing her arms around Lupin's neck in happiness.

"Yes," Lupin confirmed, looking very proud of himself.

"It's gorgeous," Silver said as she released him, staring at a something that was now in her hands.

"What is it?" Snape asked suspiciously as he walked up, tailed closely by Harry.

"A moonstone necklace," Lupin declared, "It's supposed to protect the user in times of-"

"Rubbish," Snape interrupted irritably.

"But I want to know," Silver protested.

"Absolute rubbish," Snape answered, taking the necklace from her and examining it carefully, "Go put it somewhere safe."

Frowning slightly at him, Silver ran out to the entryway, no doubt to put it inside her trunk.

"What was that for, Severus?" Lupin inquired, sounding dismayed.

"I don't want her to have a false sense of security," Snape answered shortly, "She's already convinced that the damned locket will save her from certain death, I don't need her blabbering incessantly about a moonstone, as well."

Still looking disappointed, Lupin nodded. Harry went over to meet Silver in the doorway, where she rewarded him with a kiss.

"Think we'll make it through this year, sweetie?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," he replied immediately.

She leaned against him, and he knew she was thinking of all the things that were against them.

"Because I love you," he added.

"And I love you," she agreed, as if that settled it.

"Move your sentimental mush out of the way so that an old man can get by," Snape suddenly demanded.

Giggling, Silver slid her arms around Harry and pulled him to one side of the doorway as Snape swept by. Harry was surprised by the Snape's apparent lack of concern that he and Silver were snuggling so openly. Usually he gave them opposing looks when they so much as held hands.

"Did he just tell you to move your sentimental mush out of the way?" Ron inquired suddenly from a few feet away.

"Yep," Silver confirmed contentedly.

Ron burst into laughter, followed shortly by Hermione.

"It's not funny," Silver insisted.

"Yes it is!" Ron exclaimed, "He said it likeâ€like it was your name or something!"

Hermione giggled from beside him, obviously agreeing. Harry grinned down at Silver, who looked only halfway amused. She beamed up at him and stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. He smiled down at her as she drew away, stroking her cheek gently. He didn't feel as if anything could make him remotely unhappy at the moment.

His good feeling continued for the next few hours, during which goodbyes were said, a crazy ride on the Knight Bus took place, and an uneventful passing through the barrier was made. Separated from Snape completely, Silver was a bit jumpier than usual, and clung to Harry's hand the entire time, although he rather liked it. Once they found their own train compartment – of course, sharing with Neville and Luna, as had become rather traditional – she relaxed immensely, giving Harry the same feeling of happiness that he had been carrying around with him all day. It lasted all the way until he fell asleep, his arms around her and his head resting lightly on hers.

**Note: **Rather a fluffy chapter, really. The next will have more to do with Voldemort and how Harry's year is going to go as far as that. Oh, and some other interesting things, such as teachers and all that stuff. Of course it would be ridiculous if a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher lasted for more than one year, wouldn't it?


	11. New Addition

**Chapter 11 – New Addition**

"I cannot believe you would pull a stunt like that! It was completely against the rules, and..."

Harry inwardly groaned as he listened to Hermione take out her anger on a fifth year that had been caught sneaking back into the Gryffindor common room early that morning after being gone all night. Apparently he had been...spending time with...a Ravenclaw girl his own age in the Astronomy tower the previous night. Really, Harry didn't see what business it was of Hermione's, but she had been taking her Head Girl duties _very_ seriously as of late – which was the simple two days they had been back.

"Great Merlin," Ron muttered from beside him, "_Nobody _is going to get away with anything this year, what between her and that Hufflepuff bloke..."

"Derrick," Harry supplied boredly.

"Yeah, that's the one," Ron agreed, "They're going to run themselves ragged trying to catch every single troublemaker at the school."

"They sure are," Harry agreed.

Apparently Hermione had heard the last two comments, and she whirled on them so fast that Ron nearly fell off the couch and Harry jumped about a foot into the air.

"So you think it's wrong to catch troublemakers, do you?" she screeched, "Well I'll have you know that without-"

"We know, 'Mione, we know," Ron interrupted, "I'm just saying that if you keep getting people in trouble for every little thing, you're not going to have time for _me_."

For a moment, Hermione didn't say anything. Harry waited, knowing that what happened next was either going to result in one of two possible extremes. The next moment, a smile crossed her face. Harry let out a sigh of relief.

"I suppose you're right," Hermione agreed, taking a seat next to Ron, "I mean, I won't have time for the _important_ things if I'm always on duty."

She leaned in to kiss him and Harry decided to ruin the moment.

"Come on, you two, I _was_ going to have breakfast," he complained, sheltering his eyes from them.

Hermione gave a small giggle, but Harry heard her readjust herself on the couch so as to not ruin his appetite. He took his hand away from his eyes and saw that the scene much reminded him of how things had been at Hogwarts since he had first arrived, back in his first year. Ron looked lazy and reluctant to move from his spot on the couch, Hermione looked as if she were mentally planning the answers to her next class, and as for him – well, he was just looking at them.

"Where's Silver?" Ron grumbled, glancing at his watch curiously.

"It is rather late, isn't it?" Hermione agreed, "She never took so long to get ready last year."

"Maybe that's because she slept in the dorms last year," Lavender suddenly supplied, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

It took Harry a second to catch what she meant, but when he did, he vaulted off of the couch with amazing speed.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"I mean what I said," Lavender replied, Parvati giggling at her side, "Every night she walks into the dorms late, sits on her bed – which is bare, mind you – and waits for ten minutes before leaving again. Then, early the next morning she comes back, sits on her bed – again, which is bare – waits for about an hour, and then goes downstairs. We thought..."

She paused, a smirk crossing over her face.

"We thought for sure she was with you," Parvati finished, allowing both of them to dissolve into giggles.

"Well, she wasn't!" Harry yelped, looking wildly around the room as if expecting to see her hiding in one of the corners.

Still giggling, Parvati and Lavender headed out of the common room, leaving Harry nearly out of his mind with worry.

"Where could she – where would she – why would..." he rambled, still looking around the room.

"Harry, calm down," Hermione said in her usual 'I-know-something-that-you-don't' voice.

"What? Why? Tell me!" Harry demanded.

"Me, too," Ron added interestedly.

"She's obviously with some sort of teacher or authority figure," Hermione said, drawing herself up in an 'an-authority-figure-like-me' way, "She has nightmares, remember? Well, she obviously didn't want to go having them in her dorm with the others every night, and the adults probably didn't want her to either, especially Snape, so she's not sleeping there. But she didn't want us to know, because she didn't want us to worry?"

"Well, I'm worrying," Harry declared, calming down enough to sit on the couch once more, "But where would she go, and why isn't she back yet? I mean, she wouldn't want to miss Potions first thing in the morning."

At this, Ron and Hermione both gave him an odd look.

"What?" he asked, feeling clueless for no reason.

"Harry...Snape's not teaching this year," Ron said slowly.

"I know, but..._what_?" Harry exclaimed.

"Didn't you see, he wasn't at the Staff Table the night we came," Hermione pushed, "Or were you too busy looking at Silver?"

"I was too busy looking at Silver," Harry replied unashamedly, "Now tell me what you're talking about."

"Snape can't stay here, at Hogwarts, where he'd be putting both himself and Silver in danger," Hermione explained, "Voldemort's mad at him for betraying him, and...well, he's already after you – having Snape here, too, would be like attending school in Voldemort's lair."

"Does Silver know?" Harry demanded.

Ron gave a snort of laughter. "Of course she knows, mate," he assured him, "She was the one who told us. She never told you?"

"No," Harry grumbled, feeling oddly like pouting.

Hermione and Ron exchanged a significant glance that bothered Harry greatly, seeing as he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what it meant.

"Let's go find her," he mumbled, getting up from the couch and heading for the portrait.

Without a word, Ron and Hermione followed.

"Where would she go?" Harry asked as he stepped out into the hallway.

"We could ask Dumbledore," Hermione suggested.

Harry nodded and began to head for Dumbledore's office, turning over all the new information in his head. One way or the other, Silver had been keeping things from him, and he didn't like it. More importantly, he didn't see any logical explanation for it. And, in reality, he felt that she would be safer with him than she would with any...

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he heard a familiar voice humming from around the corner.

"_Silver_?"

He couldn't keep the accusing note from his voice, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Harry!"

The next moment she whirled around the corner, enveloping him in a hug.

"I'm so sorry I slept in," she apologized, "But I was having the most wonderful dream about-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he interrupted.

"About my dream?" she asked, confused.

"About how you're not sleeping in the girl's dorms anymore, and how Snape's not teaching at Hogwarts anymore," he corrected, glaring at her the best he could.

She seemed to shrink slightly under his gaze, still looking slightly puzzled.

"I didn't want to worry you, sweetie," she began tactfully.

"Oh, so when Lavender told me that you weren't sleeping in your dorms, I wasn't supposed to be worried?" he demanded.

She looked slightly thoughtful. "Well, I suppose maybe that would worry you," she agreed slowly.

"And Snape?" he persisted.

"I forgot," she murmured softly, lowering her head so as to not face him.

"You did not," he accused.

She turned to look back the way she had come, as if wishing she could go back to wherever she had been.

"Harry, I don't like to talk about it," she said quietly.

"Ah, so you decided that you would tell Ron instead?" he inquired.

"Harry, it was while we were in a fight," she explained, looking tentatively up at him, "I wanted to tell you, but then it was just too much – we fought, and you went to the hospital, and then..."

She looked so concerned at the memory that Harry felt all of his accusation draining. He still wanted to know where she had been staying, but she looked so apprehensive of him that he knew it could wait until a later time.

"Alright," he agreed, stepping forwards and putting his arms around her, "I'm sorry. Come to breakfast with me?"

She gave a slight giggle against his chest. "Who else would I go with?" she asked amusedly, putting her arms around him and snuggling closer.

"Hopefully nobody," he replied, much more cheerful than he had been previously.

"Definitely not," she agreed, pulling away and sliding her hand through his.

Ron and Hermione looked vaguely amused, but for the most part, said nothing. Talk at the Gryffindor table at breakfast spoke mainly of the new Potions teacher. The first and third years had had her the previous day, and they reported that she was tolerable. Harry didn't think any teacher that was taking the replacement for Head of House for Slytherin would be particularly nice, but he didn't say so for fear of working Silver up. She was doing quite a good job of it already all by herself. She stared blankly at her plate, occasionally moving her eggs about or twisting her napkin in her lap, but otherwise was silent. Hermione gave Harry glances that clearly told him not to speak about it and, trusting Hermione's wisdom, Harry did just that, although he occasionally reached over and brushed a hand through her hair.

Finally, the bell rang and it was time for classes to begin. Silver looked resolute as she stood up, and halfheartedly joined into their conversation as they walked towards the dungeons. When they arrived at the door, however, she grew silent and her eyes began to get teary.

"Come on, honey, it'll be okay," Harry coaxed.

"It's just – he's always been here," she protested weakly, allowing him to take her hand and drag her towards the door a few steps.

"I know," Harry assured her, "But he'd be in danger if he was at Hogwarts."

"No he wouldn't!" she exclaimed, so passionately that Harry looked over at her in surprise.

He shook his head slightly, deciding not to argue, and led her into the classroom. It was much the same as it had been before, except with a bit more light and most of the specimens that had adorned the shelves gone. There was no teacher present, and the students took a seat with an air of anticipation. Everyone wanted to see the new teacher for themselves – except, of course, for Silver.

Harry was, quite frankly, concerned for her. He knew that it must be hard on her to have to face not seeing Snape anymore, but was it really worth all the grief it was apparently causing her? To him, it wasn't, but to her, Snape was something different – something he would never understand. Shaking his head slightly, he reached over to rub her back, earning himself a grateful look in return. Before he had time to say anything to her, the classroom door suddenly opened. Every person in the room twisted to get a view of the new professor. A tall, regal looking woman with pursed lips and platinum blonde hair pulled into a tight bun surveyed them all from the doorway. With a purposeful motion, she allowed it to slam shut behind her as she walked to the front of her room, her shoes making a clicking noise against the stone floor. She arrived at the front of the classroom and whirled to face them, her light blue eyes piercing into each of them in turn.

"Good morning, class," she greeted, her voice sounding more businesslike than Harry had expected, "As you know, I am you new Potions Professor. You may call me Professor Ramone, and nothing else."

Her eyes landed on Harry and, as he was used to, flickered upwards to his scar. The beginnings of a sneer formed on her lips, and Harry felt singled out. Was he ever going to meet a Potions teacher that didn't hate him?

"I am taking the place of Professor Snape," she continued, "And I..."

She paused as a sniffle was heard throughout the room. _Oh boy_, Harry thought, mentally rolling his eyes. He had to give Silver credit for trying, though – she was making a visible effort not to burst into tears.

"Is there something the matter?" Professor Ramone demanded, looking at her curiously.

Never one to withhold the truth, Silver replied honestly. "Y...y...yes," she wailed, tears bursting forth quite suddenly.

Professor Ramone looked mildly taken aback by Silver's response, but didn't so much as step in her direction. Instead, she turned to Harry.

"What's the matter with her?" she demanded, pointing a long, pale finger in Silver's direction.

"She's...uh...she kind of..." Harry stammered uncertainly.

"She's had a rough summer," Hermione volunteered.

Professor Ramone's eyes traveled from Harry to Hermione, and then to Silver. After what looked like a moment's contemplation, she met Harry's eyes once more.

"Is she yours?" she inquired.

Harry thought it was rather an odd question, and wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"She's...erm...my girlfriend," he ventured.

"May I take her?" she replied.

Harry began to get a bit edgy. She was referring to Silver as if she were a _thing_ instead of a person.

"No," he answered flatly, "I mean, it depends on what you mean by taking her."

"I just want to borrow her," Professor Ramone replied, as if that clarified her request.

Harry raised an eyebrow and looked from the professor to Hermione questioningly. Hermione was staring at Professor Ramone in a slightly fascinated way, and he didn't catch her eye.

"I won't harm her," Professor Ramone added.

Hermione gave a small nod, and Harry reluctantly mimicked her.

"Well, okay," he agreed, "Just so long as you don't..."

"I won't," the professor told him, taking brisk and purposeful strides in Silver's direction.

Silver had, Harry realized, stopped sobbing, although she hadn't taken her face out of her hands. Once she reached Silver, Professor Ramone cleared her throat pointedly.

"Come with me, girl," she commanded regally.

Silver tentatively stood up, looking up at the Professor apprehensively and then trotting to keep up with her as she strode to the door and stepped outside, waiting for Silver to join her before clicking it shut. Immediately everyone leaned towards the door, as if that would help them hear what was being said. After only a few moments, Professor Ramone reentered, looking utterly emotionless. As she passed Harry, she gave him a slight sneer, making him uncomfortable once more. He opened his mouth to question where Silver was, but he was interrupted.

"Today we will be making Concealment Potions," she announced in a no-nonsense voice, "You will need three cups crushed unicorn horn, one pint of dragon blood, two handfuls of..."

Harry pretty much zoned out on the rest, and when she finally stopped talking, the class got to work in an almost eerie silence. He silently beat himself over the head for not having a clue of what to do. He looked up and saw, to his dismay, that Professor Ramone was watching him. Grumbling under his breath, he began to work with gathering the ingredients he had heard. Unfortunately, he had no clue what to do with them.

"Mr. Potter," Professor Ramone snapped when he had been standing in front of his empty cauldron for five minutes, "Were you paying attention to the instructions I gave you or weren't you?"

"I wasn't," Harry admitted, figuring he should just get detention and be done with it.

"That is completely unacceptable, you're just going to have to have a meeting with Voldemort," she replied airily.

Harry's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he looked at her. He glanced around the classroom to see the other's reactions, but nobody looked particularly interested. Hermione simply shook her head as she continued to add ingredients to her potion. His mouth dropped open at the utter lack of response from his classmates.

"Mr. Potter," she snapped, "Did you hear me?"

"What are you talking about?" Harry exploded, "Are you insane? Nobody says...nobody..."

"Well, I'm sorry if you've never gotten a detention before," she interrupted wryly, "I suppose this'll just have to be your first."

"Detention?" Harry echoed dumbly, "You didn't anything about a detention, you told me to talk to Voldemort!"

That time, there were reactions. Somebody's cauldron gave a mild explosion, gasps could be heard, and a shrill scream came from the corner of a room.

"Harry!" Hermione hissed.

"What? That's what she said!" Harry insisted.

"Mr. Potter, I do not know what you are talking about, but Voldemort will be talking to you about this," Professor Ramone said, looking at him as if he were insane.

"See!" Harry yelled, pointing and nearly jumping up and down.

"Harry, stop it!" Hermione exclaimed, reaching over and pulling his hand down.

Professor Ramone raised her eyebrows at him, "Perhaps, Mr. Potter, you need to a visit to Madame Pomfrey," she suggested.

Harry simply gaped. _He _needed a visit to the hospital wing? He wasn't the one yelling Voldemort's name out in the middle of class. Or wait, he was, but only after she did.

"I think you do, Harry," Hermione added worriedly, concern evident in her eyes.

"But I – ah!" Harry yelped as his forehead suddenly lit on fire.

"Harry?" Hermione squeaked apprehensively.

"It's...the...bloody...scar," he grunted, clutching his head.

"Harry, we should...we should...Dumbledore...Professor, _look_ at him!"

Hermione began to point at him as if he were growing a second head, taking a step back.

"Hermione...what...I..." he stopped as a fresh wave of pain rushed through his body, followed shortly by a familiar cold laugh.

The next thing he knew, his world was black. He gave a groan, half of annoyance and half of pain.

_Pleasant, wasn't it? _A voice in his head inquired.

"Very," he retorted sarcastically.

_Tell me, Harry, how do you like your new professor? _Voldemort asked.

Harry didn't answer, suddenly thinking of how he had left Silver with her. What an idiot he was. Professor Ramone was _obviously _working for Voldemort.

_You think so, do you? _Voldemort inquired amusedly, _All the better, I suppose._

Now Harry was really confused. Why wasn't Voldemort rubbing it in his face?

_You really are no fun, Harry, _Voldemort informed him, _Your lack of intelligence is most annoying. I only ever get any fun out of you when you're writhing in pain. Your loss._

"Well you're-"Harry began hotly, but he was stopped by the surge of pain that went through his body.

He gritted his teeth against it as he began to shake with the pain. It was unbearable – his body was splitting in two, his mind was reeling with the intensity of the pain, and the groan of pain he had been holding back exited despite his efforts. But that wasn't nearly the worst of it. In the background, he heard Silver's voice calling his name as she had when Voldemort and Lucius had had her. It was all it took to cause him to pass out.

"I don't know!" an exasperated female voice snapped, drawing Harry into consciousness, "He was blabbering some nonsense about me saying the Dark Lord's name!"

"Fool boy!" came a very familiar voice, "As if you would ever-"

"Harry didn't know!" Silver interrupted, the sound of her voice causing Harry to peek one eye open.

"Exactly," Snape snapped in reply, "He didn't know, and he had no right to accuse-"

"If that was what he _heard_, then he can't be blamed!" Lupin interrupted from the side of Harry's bed, nearly causing Harry to jump.

Snape fell into incomprehensible grumbling, and Professor Ramone watched with a slightly amused expression, as did Lupin. Then it hit Harry. _Professor Ramone_.

"You!" he roared at the top of his lungs, jumping into a sitting position and pointing at her.

Lupin gave a strangled yelp from beside him and jumped back, tripping over a chair and landing on his bottom in an undignified manner. Silver gasped and jumped into Snape's arms. Professor Ramone and Snape merely looked up at him as if he didn't surprise them in the least.

"See?" Professor Ramone said, throwing her hands up in the air helplessly.

"Potter, get a grip," Snape grumbled, looking at him with distaste.

"But she's...she's..." Harry stammered, trying to find words for what she was, "Keep Silver away from her!"

Something very akin to a smile crossed over Snape's face for a brief moment. It passed so quickly that Harry wasn't sure if he had seen it or not.

"I'm sure Silver will be fine with her," Snape told him, amusement lacing his voice.

"Yes, Harry, Madeline is..." Lupin began.

"Working for Voldemort," Harry finished firmly.

"Er...no," Lupin replied, looking amused as he got up from the floor, "She's joining the Order, and she's actually going to help..."

"Joining the Order?" Harry interrupted, "I just told you that she was working for Voldemort."

"Does he always think he's right?" Professor Ramone inquired interestedly.

"Without fail," Snape assured her dryly.

"What...I do not...I just...I," Harry sputtered angrily.

"You don't know what happened," Lupin finished, "Wouldn't you like to hear from an eyewitness so that you know what was _real_?"

"I know what's real," Harry answered firmly.

"So I suppose you know that the Dark Lord is controlling what you hear come out of people's mouth, and it's only because you were too lazy to practice your Occlumency," Snape retorted.

At this, Harry was silent. "I thought Occlumency was-"he began.

"There are many different forms of Occlumency," Professor Ramone interrupted smartly.

"Why didn't anyone tell me that?" Harry demanded.

"We told you to practice Occlumency, you shouldn't have to question why," Snape answered.

"He has a right to know why," Lupin and Silver chorused, smiling at each other as they finished.

"Bunch of hogwash," Snape drawled, "Potter doesn't need to know anything, contrary to popular opinion."

"Harry is an adult now," Lupin argued, "And it's his right to know what's happening with his own life! He's not eleven anymore..."

"...Aw, he was probably really cute when he as, though," Silver said, beaming in Harry's direction. He half-smiled back, knowing that she was only trying to get the two to stop fighting.

Snape and Lupin both looked at her amusedly before Snape resumed the conversation as if Silver had never spoken.

"He can't know about everything that concerns his safety – as is obvious! With the rate he's practicing Occlumency, I'm surprised the Dark Lord hasn't strolled into Grimmauld Place and..."

"Harry does practice!" Lupin roared.

"Oh dear," Professor Ramone sighed, putting a hand to her forehead, "Please, you two, stop it and be reasonable. It doesn't matter whether Harry did or didn't practice, so long as he does from now on."

Both men fell into a kind of grumpy silence, and Professor Ramone gave a small sigh before sitting down in a chair, looking defeated. Silver made her way up to Harry wordlessly and offered a smile as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Lay down, sweetie," she requested softly.

He obeyed without complaint or argument, allowing her to continue to stroke his face as he did so.

"You know that Professor Ramone isn't working for Voldemort, right?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," he admitted grudgingly.

"Good, then," she said, "Because she's really very nice, Harry, I think you'll get along with her just fine."

"If you say so," he replied dubiously.

She smiled at him and leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead. "That's what I like to hear," she teased, "Now...take a nice long rest?"

"Sure," he replied sarcastically, "Just what I feel like doing."

She gave a slight giggle and shook her head.

"Alright, but you know Dumbledore's going to tell you to sleep," she said.

Before Harry could reply, Dumbledore himself pushed back Harry's curtain and walked in, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Good evening, all," he greeted, "If you would please do me and Harry the honor of waiting outside, it would be much appreciated."

Obediently, everyone filed out, leaving Harry alone with Dumbledore. The old wizard took a seat at Harry's bedside, adjusted himself briefly, and then turned to Harry expectantly.

"Tell me everything," he commanded.

"That's a lot," Harry replied, before launching into an explanation of his morning.

Dumbledore listened intently the entire way through, often nodding or giving an 'ah' at the important parts. When Harry stopped, he began to speak with what seemed to be carefully chosen words.

"And you'll be practicing your Occlumency from now on, won't you?" he asked in a slightly chiding tone of voice.

Harry nodded, feeling a bit angry that Dumbledore was siding with Snape – even if it was unintentional.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, almost wistfully, "You're nearly a grown man now. I've no doubt you'll be great. But remember that you have a prophecy to fulfill – a prophecy which your very life depends on. It's not going to be easy, Harry, but you...you'll come through, my boy."

Dumbledore's last two words filled Harry with an inexplicable sense of pride and contentment. Dumbledore's boy. No doubt Malfoy would have used it as an insult, but at the moment, Harry felt as if it were the furthest thing from one. On the contrary, it was the greatest compliment he'd received in his life. The regal, powerful Dumbledore whom Voldemort himself feared was referring to Harry in a possessive way, a way that Harry was sure he didn't refer to anyone else as. And Harry felt his heart swell with the pride that came along with that.

"Thank you," he croaked, his voice raspy and very nearly shaky.

Dumbledore turned to look at him, and Harry swore that the sparkle in his eyes made him look twenty years younger. The old man lifted up his hand and patted Harry's arm with it. It was a comforting and welcome gesture, and Harry had no idea how to return it. Apparently, that wasn't necessary, for Dumbledore then stood.

"I should be going," he announced, sounding very nearly how Harry himself had sounded when he spoke, "Madam Pomfrey will let you out in a few hours, after your last dose of medicine."

Harry nodded, and Dumbledore nodded back. Then, with a swish of his robes, he was gone, leaving Harry feeling oddly accomplished. He wasn't sure what had just transpired, but he was sure it was something good.

**Note: **Wow. I am, like, brain-dead. Sorry. XD It'll all clear up soon, I'm sure...

Oh, and sorry for how long it took to update, but my best friend's parents landed in the hospital, and her mom is my mom's best friend, too, so we've been really busy, not to mention schoolwork.


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